A critical analysis of online social support websites for Australians seeking bariatric surgery

Due to the increasing popularity and the associated psychological and social burdens associated with bariatric surgery, there is a need for safe and accessible online spaces to share experiences. This research aimed to identify the available English-language Online Social Support (OSS) for people seeking bariatric surgery in Australia and to evaluate the available OSS website features.

This research focused on open and publicly accessible OSS, excluding user data or post content. The study was conducted in two phases: (a) identifying the available English-language Online Social Support for people seeking bariatric surgery in Australia and (b) appraising the website features of the available OSS.

Two search strategies yielded N = 1210 websites, n = 39 were subjected to preliminary analysis, and eight met the inclusion criteria. There was limited variability, with all OSS classified as discussion forums. The website features varied and scored moderately in terms of total number of best practice features used.

OSS is an underutilised form of support for Australians seeking bariatric surgery. Using evidence-based benchmarks, the website features examined in this study should be considered by website designers to enhance the development of improved OSS for Australians seeking such surgery.