UT-Houston Study Shows Most Weight Loss Advice Online is Accurate
HOUSTON–(July 5, 2007)–Internet weight loss forums typically provide high-quality advice about general weight loss, diet and exercise, but caution should be used with online advice about medications, according to researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The study, published in the July 2007 issue of The American Journal of Medicine, found that most advice posted on high-activity Internet weight loss forums is consistent with professional guidelines.
“Individuals who ask for weight-loss advice on these forums will generally receive good advice but should be cautious about advice related to weight loss medications,” said lead author Kevin Hwang, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the UT Medical School at Houston.
The study evaluated 18 weight loss forums on 13 websites, from which more than 29,000 messages were posted regarding the subject. The authors analyzed 654 messages which contained advice in response to posted requests and which could be compared to clinical weight loss guidelines. More than 77 percent of these messages had accurate advice.
High-volume discussion boards, those containing at least 1,000 messages per month, were less likely to have inaccurate information. Half of the erroneous messages posted on these high-volume forums were later corrected to reflect accurate information. Advice related to weight loss medication was more likely than advice on other topics to be erroneous.
“For questions about weight loss medications, it would be better to ask a knowledgeable health care provider,” Hwang said. “Likewise, physicians referring patients to Internet weight loss forums should refer them to high-activity forums after discussing the proper role of weight loss medication and cautioning them against online medication-related advice.”
Other authors of the study include Kiran Farheen, M.D., resident in the Department of Internal Medicine at the UT Medical School at Houston; Craig W. Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor at The University of Texas School of Health Information Sciences at Houston; Eric J. Thomas, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor at the UT Medical School at Houston; and Elmer V. Bernstam, M.D., associate professor in the UT School of Health Information Sciences at Houston and UT Medical School at Houston. Co-author Ann S. Barnes, M.D., is an assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.