Table 1.

Characteristics of participants’ use of Twitter and Facebook and weight loss online social networks

Characteristic	Twitter	Facebook	p Value*
Account duration (years)			0.42
<1	28%	1%
1–3	52%	11%
3+	20%	88%
Log-in frequency			0.41
Several times/day	68%	20%
Daily	24%	27%
Less than daily	8%	53%
Number of friends/followers, mean (SD)	494.44 (635.44)	399.38 (341.12)	0.20
% of friends/followers originating from an in-person relationship	15%	86%	<0.001
Major reason for use
Stay in touch with family	10%	64%	0.01
Stay in touch with current friends	20%	74%	0.29
Reconnect with old friends	10%	54%	0.12
Make new friends	30%	8%	0.002

*Continuous data were analyzed via independent samples t tests, and categorical data via χ².