Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Computer-Mediated Social Support for Physical Activity: A Content Analysis.

Jeroen Stragier1, Peter Mechant1, Lieven De Marez1

  • 11 IMEC-MICT-Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

Health Education & Behavior : the Official Publication of the Society for Public Health Education
|April 19, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Mixed-methods process evaluation of "Take a Walk With Your Brain," a cognitively enriched walking program for community-dwelling older adults.

Applied psychology. Health and well-being·2026
Same author

Long-Term Effectiveness of a School- and Community-Based Intervention for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity in High-Risk Families Across Europe: The Feel4Diabetes Study.

Pediatric obesity·2026
Same author

Using a theory-based approach to evaluate a physical activity promotion intervention for youth with intellectual disabilities.

Social science & medicine (1982)·2026
Same author

Longitudinal associations between 24-hour movement behaviours and cognitive function in adults aged 55 and above.

Journal of activity, sedentary and sleep behaviors·2026
Same author

ACTIVATE: physical activity assessment, prescription and promotion in clinical practice by healthcare professionals - a consensus study initiated by the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy.

British journal of sports medicine·2026
Same author

Standardized Methods for Evaluating Physical and Eating Behaviors: The WEALTH Cross-Sectional Study Protocol.

JMIR research protocols·2026
Same journal

Activism to Modify the Social Determinants of Health: The Role of Evaluation.

Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education·2026
Same journal

Social Media as a Double-Edged Blade in Addressing Sedentary Lifestyles: Supportive and Adverse Effects.

Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education·2026
Same journal

Factors Associated With Parental Willingness to Vaccinate Daughters Against Human Papillomavirus in Peru.

Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education·2026
Same journal

Chinese Cancer Patients' Willingness for Phase III Trials: Health Belief Model and Social Support.

Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education·2026
Same journal

Perceived Social Support Mediating Caregiver Burden and Mental Health in Schizophrenia Caregivers.

Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education·2026
Same journal

Improving Anal Cancer Screening Messages Through Interviews From Men Who Have Sex With Men.

Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education·2026
See all related articles

Online fitness communities offer social support for physical activity (PA). Strava users receive more support, particularly compliments, compared to Twitter users, highlighting platform differences in social networking for PA.

Area of Science:

  • Sports and Exercise Science
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Social Media Studies

Background:

  • Online fitness communities are emerging social networks centered on recording, monitoring, and sharing physical activity (PA).
  • These platforms facilitate a new social dimension for PA, with online peers acting as virtual supporters.
  • Research on computer-mediated social support for PA within these communities remains limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the extent to which using online fitness communities and sharing PA data on social networks leads to receiving various forms of online social support.
  • To compare the prevalence and types of social support offered on different social media platforms for physical activity.

Main Methods:

  • A deductive content analysis was performed on two databases: one with physical activities logged on Strava and another with activities logged on RunKeeper and shared on Twitter.
Keywords:
computer-mediated communicatione-healthexercise behaviorm-healthonline fitness communityphysical activitysocial media

Related Experiment Videos

  • The analysis focused on identifying the occurrence and types of social support exchanged within these online environments.

    • Main Results:

    • Social support is significantly more prevalent on Strava than on Twitter.
    • Esteem support, such as compliments for completed activities, is common on both Strava and Twitter.
    • Overall social support delivered through Twitter for physical activity is not extensive.

    Conclusions:

    • Social media platforms demonstrate potential for delivering social support for physical activity, but significant variations exist across different sites.
    • Esteem support is a common form of social support expected on platforms like Strava.
    • Unlike online health communities where information support is prevalent, online fitness communities more frequently offer esteem support.