Development of a Social Media Intervention for the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

Background: Despite the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), a large proportion of eligible patients do not attend in-person services. Social media offers opportunities to reach out to and provide social support for this population. Conversion of existing in-person services to social media platforms requires an understanding of the target population's social media experiences. Aim: To 1) understand the social media experience of patients eligible for CR; 2) apply findings to develop a social media CR intervention. Methods: A survey (n = 258) and six focus groups (n = 18) were conducted with patients attending CR services to elucidate users’ social media experience. Results: Almost one-third (31%) (79/258) of patients attending CR use social media regularly, with Facebook the most popular. Overall, patients are receptive to the use of social media for CR. Focus group themes were considered within the core components of social media, including user profile (social media identity), communication (interaction with other users) and interface (interaction with social media features). Patients’ social media identity reflects their usual social norms. Time spent on social media is for purposeful communication with key social media features, including closed group conversations and there is an involvement threshold. Conclusions: This research has informed a social support Facebook intervention (Fig. 1) for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. This includes the first Facebook goal setting app, linking to a closed Facebook group for social support.