Table 1.
Patient Characteristics and Social Media/Internet Usage to Obtain Medical Information.
| Variables | Social Media and Internet Consultation (total N = 258) N (%) | No Social Media and Internet Consultation (total N = 100) N (%) | Total N (%) | P-Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years (Mean ± SD) | 30.04 ± 0.27 | 29.85 ± 0.52 | 29.98 ± 0.24 | .184 |
| Disease duration, months (Mean± SD) | 75.95 ± 4.56 | 59.30 ± 6.96 | 71.30 ± 3.86 | .004 |
| Education level | .736 | |||
| High school or lower | 88 (71.0) | 36 (29) | 124 (34.5) | |
| University degree or higher | 170 (72.6) | 64 (27.4) | 234 (65.4) | |
| Patient-reported acne severity | .003 | |||
| Mild | 56 (59.6) | 38 (40.4) | 94 (26.3) | |
| Moderate | 136 (74.3) | 47 (25.7) | 183 (51.1) | |
| Severe | 66 (81.5) | 15 (18.5) | 81 (22.6) | |
| Patient-reported negative impact of acne on self-esteem | .000 | |||
| No impact | 24 (46.2) | 28 (53.8) | 52 (14.5) | |
| Occasionally | 77 (65.3) | 41 (34.7) | 118 (33.0) | |
| Frequently | 95 (85.6) | 16 (14.4) | 111 (31.0) | |
| Always | 62 (80.5) | 15 (19.5) | 77 (21.5) | |
| Average daily time spent on social media | .003 | |||
| None | 8 (47.1) | 9 (52.9) | 17 (4.7) | |
| < 1 hours | 39 (61.9) | 24 (38.1) | 63 (17.6) | |
| 1–3 hours | 103 (71.0) | 42 (29.0) | 145 (40.5) | |
| >3 hours | 108 (81.2) | 25 (18.8) | 133 (37.2) | |
| First source of choice to acne treatment | .000 | |||
| Internet/social media | 76 (100) | 0 (0) | 76 (21.2) | |
| Family/friends | 13 (43) | 17 (57) | 30 (8.4) | |
| Pharmacists | 41 (82.0) | 9 (18.0) | 50 (14.0) | |
| Physician/Dermatologist | 128 (63.4) | 74 (36.6) | 202 (56.4) |