E-community support for weight loss [abstract]

Abstract

This is an exploratory study with a qualitative content analysis of the e-community forums to examine how these forums promote healthy eating, exercise, and social networking to encourage weight-loss. Two websites have been chosen: http://www.3fatchicks.com and www.weightwatchers.com. The selection of the sites were based upon information obtained from www.alexa.com; a website that has built an unparalleled database of information about a variety of sites that includes statistics, related links, and comparison data for each site.