Positive Aspects Associated With Health Blogs

Health blogs provide a unique opportunity for patients, clients, and other interested parties to stay up to date on the latest research. The present studies investigated whether the content presentation of these blogs can influence a reader’s intentions to take preventative health actions. The studies used a non-experimental design with actual self-described blog readers. Participants were surveyed about their evaluation of 3 blog conditions and their intention to engage in preventative health actions.

Health blogs are a form of social sharing that allows authors to share information on health-related issues with the general public. Some of these blogs are run by organizations and governments to promote products and services, while others are authored by individuals to discuss personal experiences. There are several different types of health blogs, including those focusing on training and exercise, disease and disorder, or healthy living. A recent study found that reading medical health blog excerpts induced their readers to take preventative health actions in real life, unlike a control condition. This effect was stronger for a personal narrative blog than a more general cancer story or statistical blog. However, the blog formats did not differ in their ability to influence intentions for future preventative action and the reader’s evaluation of their own disease risk beliefs. In addition, the blogs were rated as easy to read, informative, and emotionally engaging by the participants. This is a positive aspect of health blogging.

Whether it’s striving to land a promotion or improving your grades, intrinsic motivation allows us to persist in challenging tasks even when the reward seems less immediate. Motivation can be driven by many things, from a desire to feel accomplished to an urge to belong and fit in. Several studies on cancer patients report that reading and writing survivor health blogs stave off feelings of loneliness, help them share information, and connect with others. Other research confirms that blogs containing personal stories and those focused on statistical content are equally effective at driving readers’ intention to perform preventative health actions.



In this non-experimental study, we surveyed actual self-described medical blog readers to explore their intentions as a result of reading blogs. Participants cited wanting to stay updated on their friend’s condition, particularly without imposing on their friends and family, as the most common motivator for reading medical health blogs. If you navigate to this website, you can get more and more Health Blog on the internet platform.

In one study, participants read a health blog and then responded to open-ended questions about the blog evaluation and intentions for preventative health action. The results showed that irrespective of whether health blogs were written as personal stories, statistical data or a combination of both, they increased the intention to perform protective health behavior. However, they did not influence the perceived barriers and perceived susceptibility to disease. Similarly, studies of cancer patients who write their own health blogs found that their main motivations are to share information with others, stave off feelings of isolation and build legacies. They also use their blogs to express themselves and their emotions.

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