Internet boards can benefit diabetics

BOSTON, Nov 29, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A Joslin Diabetes Center study in Boston indicates diabetics benefit through participation in Internet-based diabetic discussion groups.

Researchers examined the impact of Joslin's Online Discussion Boards -- Internet forums in which people with diabetes can share thoughts and experiences,

The boards (at http://www.joslin.org/) allow people to post questions or comments about their diabetes-related concerns. The postings are moderated by a team of specialists, including physicians, dietitians and psychologists.

"There's a strong therapeutic effect from posting on the board," said lead investigator John Zrebiec, a Joslin clinical social worker and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School.

Zrebiec tracked more than 330,000 board visits during a six-year period. In 1999 and again in 2004, satisfaction surveys were sent to some of the boards' registered users.

Nearly 75 percent of respondents said the boards helped them cope with diabetes, while 71 percent said participation helped them feel more hopeful.

Researchers say the study suggests Internet-based groups are particularly valuable since they allow people to come together at any time in a non-threatening venue for discussing particularly sensitive concerns.

The study appears in the November/December issue of The Diabetes Educator.

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