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The Exchange of Informational Support in Online Health Communities at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Content Analysis (Preprint)


 BACKGROUND
 Online health communities (OHCs) provide social support for ongoing health related problems. COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been an acute and substantial stressor globally. The disease and its impact, especially in the beginning phases, left many with questions about its nature, treatment, and prevention. Unlike typical chronic ailments on OHCs, which are more established, COVID-19, at least at the onset of the pandemic, is distinct in that it lacks a consensus of clinical diagnosis and an existing community foundation.
 
 
 OBJECTIVE
 The study aims to investigate a newly formed OHC for COVID-19 to determine the topics and types of information exchange as well as the sources of information this community referenced during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
 
 
 METHODS
 A total of 357 posts from a COVID-19 OHC on the MedHelp platform were annotated following an open-coding process. Participants’ engagement patterns, topics of posts, and sources of information were quantified.
 
 
 RESULTS
 Participants who were in a position to offer informational support had a significantly higher percentage of responding more than once than those seeking information (P < 0.001). Among the information seeking topics, symptoms and public health practice and psychological impacts were the most frequently discussed with 26% (17/65) and 15% (10/65) of posts respectively. The majority of informational support was expressed through feedback/opinion at 82.3% (181/220). Additionally, the most referred source of information was news outlets/websites at 55% (11/20).
 
 
 CONCLUSIONS
 The trends of this community could be useful in prioritizing public health responses to address the most common questions sought by the general public during crisis communication and in identifying which venue of communication is most effective in reaching the public audience during these times.
