Online support groups can help smokers and other addicts kick their deadly habits, according to a study recently released by researchers at the University of Maryland?s Robert H. Smith School of Business.
After analyzing the behaviors of more than 400 Quitnet.com users, university researchers found 62 percent of survey respondents successfully stopped smoking due to their relationships with other site members.
“Beyond smokers, online communities can help all types of people coping with various kinds of conditions like diabetes and cancer,” said study co-author Ritu Agarwal. “The possibilities for this kind of media are tremendous.”
Internet communities provide effective support and help people steer clear of their addictions because they allow users to get the help they need at the exact moment they need it.
Users model their e-buddies, who have achieved goals similar to their own, and listen to their online peers? advice.
“Community members aren?t as in-your-face as in-person support groups. Someone constantly haranguing you to stop doing something can be detrimental and negative,” Agarwal said. “On the Internet, you decide when you want to be pushed.”
The number of online friends a user had and the length of time a user participated online attributed to his or her smoking cessation success, according to the university?s study. It also found that Quitnet.com and other Internet social networks alleviate part of the acute stress, anxiety and depression ex-smokers may experience from withdrawal.
Although most smokers want to quit, success rates are still low, according to the American Lung Association?s 2006 report “Trends in Tobacco Use.”
Cigarette smoking is the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the U.S., based on statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cigarette smoke kills approximately 440,000 people every year in the U.S.
Agarwal?s next study will look at the extent Web-based support groups aid diabetics when monitoring their blood-sugar levels and administrating their insulin injections and other medications.
