What are the conditions for online participation in questions of health?

Once more we find that age is a driver for participation on the Net: Young users are more likely to participate in questions of health. There is a similar situation in terms of user experience: „The greater the experience, the more active the participation“ is the rule of thumb (Steinmark et al., 2006; Han et al., 2012; Rodgers & Chen, 2005). Gender appears to exert an opposite influence on participation in questions of health compared with what is observed in political participation: Women are more likely to be engaged online than men (van Uden-Kraan et al., 2011).

"Youthhealthtalk.com" is a platform to address questions of health relating specifically to young people

Example 20: „Youthhealthtalk.com“ is a platform to address questions of health relating specifically to young people based on the experience of those afflicted.

It is worthwhile taking a differentiated look at the influence of the users‘ socio-economic status on their online participation. It is known that this aspect affects the prognosis for recovery – irrespective of their Internet use. Hence, a higher socio-economic status positively affects prognosis for recovery (Hoybye et al., 2010). Patients with a lower socio-economic status feel less well-being and more stress when faced with their disease (Epstein et al., 2002). It is generally accepted that the socio-economic status also promotes online participation – which means that those persons who already start from a better initial position also benefit from the opportunities offered on the Internet (Hiller, 2012). Conversely, Internet users with a lower socio-economic status perceive greater subjective benefit from participation: Above all they appreciate the increase in information and competency they find on the Internet (van Uden-Kraan et al., 2009).

In general, widespread availability of the Internet lowers the access barriers to information on questions of health. It is logistically and psychologically easier to find help and support on the Internet in questions of health concerns (Tanis et al., 2011). The greater the need for information and the perceived lack of competency, the more the users will be active on the Net (Han et al., 2012). It follows, therefore, that the Internet should represent an opportunity for users with a lower socio-conomic status.

As described earlier, the influence of household size is unclear when it comes to online participation. Young users in single-person households exhibit particularly high activity (Han et al., 2012). Nevertheless, users who receive encouragement to do so from their social environment, which may include their own household, are also particularly engaged (van Uden-Kraan et al., 2011).

Finally, user attitudes towards the Internet also influence their online engagement. While the Internet may, at first glance, reduce the access barriers to helpful services, the anonymity it provides also simplifies the location of suitable services, even when dealing with stigmatised diseases. But for this to happen the users must trust the Internet: The greater the concerns with regard to security and privacy on the Net, the lower the probability of participation in questions of health (Han et al., 2012).