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. 2015 Dec 30;6(2):277–284. doi: 10.1007/s13142-015-0382-4

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.”
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