82 Background: Online social networks (OSNs) have emerged in the past decade as potentially powerful tools for health information sharing and health behavior change. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 75% of all parents are active on OSNs. Given the high level of need for childhood cancer survivorship health education and preventive health behavior change, OSNs represent key resources for parents to engage with experts and peers over survivorship health. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 114 parents of young and adolescent ( < 13 years) childhood cancer survivors was used to examine parent OSN use in specific platforms. Recruitment was conducted through online social support groups of two childhood cancer non-profits that focus on parent support. The novel online survey investigated OSN frequency of use, history of making new friends in OSNs, and whether OSNs were “good for sharing and receiving reliable and high quality information on diet, physical activity, and other healthy behaviors.” Results: Parents reported high levels of OSN use with 80% reporting daily use. Facebook was the most commonly used OSN by a wide margin. Seventy-eight percent of parents reported using it every day. The next most used OSN was Instagram (15%). Parents reported making new friends on Facebook (86%), followed by Instagram (22%) and Twitter (10%). Among parents who have used the respective OSNs, several were endorsed as being “good” or “extremely good” for sharing survivorship-related preventive health information. Facebook was endorsed by 76% of its users, Twitter and Pinterest by 59%, Google+ by 52%, and Instagram by 40%. None of the demographic variables collected predicted parent OSN use or perception. There was a strong association between parents using OSNs daily and their reporting having made new friends on OSNs (p < .000). Conclusions: Parents of young childhood cancer survivors recruited from online support groups report high levels of OSN use and making new friends through OSNs, and find OSNs potentially good sources for sharing and receiving survivorship-related health information. OSNs in general, and Facebook in particular, represent promising avenues for childhood cancer survivorship health information dissemination.
Perceived Barriers and Facilitators for Return to Work Among Colorectal Cancer Survivors: Malaysian Healthcare Professionals Experience- A Qualitative Inquiry
