Interrelationship between Interpersonal Interaction Intensity and Health Self-Efficacy in People with Diabetes or Prediabetes on an Online Diabetes Social Platform: An In-Depth Survey in China (Preprint)
Authors: Chen Zhihong , Zhang Chaochuang , Zhang Chaochuang 
Published: June 2020

BACKGROUND

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OBJECTIVE

The peer interaction–based online model has been influential in the recent development of diabetes management. This model “extends and innovates” the traditional mode of doctor–patient guidance, transforming it into a mode in which both doctor–patient guidance and patient–patient interaction coexist; this new mode has the added advantage of offering “extended continual intervention.” This study contributes to research on diabetes management models by investigating how patients with diabetes or prediabetes in China interact in online health communities, focusing on the interrelationship between self-efficacy characteristics and online participation during patient–patient interactions.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, participants with diabetes of all severities completed an electronic questionnaire, which was formulated with a revised classical scale. The questionnaire was disseminated through diabetes online health communities. Its content covered the respondent’s general condition, self-evaluation of their self-efficacy, and participation in online health communities, specifically with respect to factors such as the time spent each day consuming information online, the number of groups joined, and the extent of interaction in diabetes online health communities. The main observation indicators were the participants’ self-efficacy, their extent of online participation, and the characteristics of online health communities. Descriptive statistics, chi-square testing, linear trend estimation, and ordinal logistic regression were used to explore the relationship between the three indicators.

RESULTS

The self-efficacy scores (x̅ ± s) were 51.9 ± 9.12, and 59.1% of interviewed participants had self-efficacy scores greater than the mean. Overall, most participants (87.2%) considered online diabetes social platforms to be helpful. Groups differed with respect to interaction mode, which indicated that people with high self-efficacy tend to employ various modes of interaction. Participants with high self-efficacy were also more likely to be married (p < 0.05) and tended to spend more time paying attention to group information (p < 0.05), spend more time viewing group information (p < 0.05), and have a greater degree of interaction with group members (p < 0.05). Informationsources for the different grades of participants was primarily obtained from social media.

CONCLUSIONS

Among people with diabetes, the frequency and intensity of online interaction positively affect self-efficacy and, by implication, diabetes self-management. However, the design of online health communities has room for improvement, specifically with respect to the provision of information that patients require. As an interesting side note, among people with diabetes or prediabetes, those who were married, those who paid more attention to group information, and those who actively participated in interactions tended to have relatively high self-efficacy. The results suggest that people with diabetes have higher-quality self-care when they engage in online health community interactions; such benefits cannot be obtained from treatment in a hospital. In general, enhanced self-efficacy in people with diabetes enables them to more readily acquire diabetes-related knowledge. Therefore, online health communities are an important supplement to the clinical treatment of diabetes mellitus, and clinicians can take advantage of the educational function of online diabetes groups in their provision of tailored diabetes interventions. Such a use of online diabetes groups can strengthen diabetes self-management.

CLINICALTRIAL

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