The importance of online wellness communities: Diabetes focus

Are you looking for mutual support? A research article in Current Diabetes Review "introduce[d] readers to the platforms on which Diabetes Online Community (DOC) participants interact, to discuss reasons for and risks associated with diabetes-related online activity, and to review research related to the potential impact of DOC participation on diabetes outcomes."

Key points:

  • "Common themes around DOC participation include peer support, advocacy, self-expression, seeking and sharing diabetes information, improving approaches to diabetes data management, and humor."
  • "The Internet provides opportunities to strengthen communication and support among individuals with diabetes, their families, health care providers, the health care industry, policy makers, and the general public."
  • "People with diabetes and their caregivers often describe feeling isolated in their experience of having and managing the complex, unrelenting demands of diabetes."
  • "There is a growing presence of individuals with type 2 diabetes and latent auto-immune diabetes of adulthood (LADA)."
  • "Given the proportionally larger prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes, more content targeted to the unique experiences of people living with type 2 diabetes might be needed."
I did an Internet search and found a number of sites. Don't be afraid to get involved.