Table 4.
Perceived advantages and concerns about a Twitter-delivered weight loss intervention reported by women of childbearing age who use Twitter
| Themes | Number (%) | Illustrative examples |
|---|---|---|
| Advantages (N = 37) | ||
| Support/accountability | 19 (51 %) | “I can get answers instantly from health behavior coaches. I can also interact immediately with other women trying to lose weight. If other participants ask questions that I may not have thought of to the coaches, then I can see the answers.” |
| “Accountability and support” | ||
| “the ability to connect with other women who are losing weight” | ||
| Convenience | 14 (38 %) | “Convenience, I can access twitter anywhere and whenever my schedule allows. Versus an in-person meeting, I can’t always commit to the same time/day every week.” |
| “I’m already on Twitter a lot as it is—one less program to try to use and incorporate into my daily day…” | ||
| “Practical: I have my mobile phone always in my pocket.” | ||
| Privacy/lack of judgment | 11 (30 %) | “It’s easier to talk about weight problems in a private group on social media.” |
| “colleagues wouldn’t see it” | ||
| “I am about 100 lbs overweight. I hate admitting that to my peers. I would love the format of having support, but I don’t want to talk about my weight with any of them.” | ||
| Concerns (N = 37) | ||
| Low support/accountability | 10 (27 %) | “The fact that I may not feel accountable to a group online vs one I have to physically report to” |
| “Easy to not be accountable on twitter as ‘virtual’.” | ||
| “Accountability. If the group isn’t very active I may feel abandoned or lose interest.” | ||
| Technology concerns | 10 (27 %) | “Manageability. How does a private Twitter group work? I don’t mind Tweeting as myself and making my results public. Plus, I don’t want to manage another account.” |
| “Tweet overload” | ||
| Lack of privacy | 8 (22 %) | “Still concerned about privacy—nothing is really ‘private’ online in today’s age. Worried about someone hacking the account.” |
| “I am not very comfortable with sharing personal info online.” | ||
| “Who owns the data” | ||
| Not engaging | 6 (16 %) | “My concern is how engaging could it possibly be?” |
| “Will lose interest” | ||
| Lack of efficacy | 3 (8 %) | “I won’t complete my goal” |
| “I’m worried it’ll be a waste of time and I won’t have benefited at all.” |