How can social networking sites and forums help support families and children?

Health IT for Children Toolbox

How can social networking sites and forums help support families and children?

Social networking sites bring parents together to discuss the issues they may face with children's health. Specialized sites are targeted at teens, sick children, or siblings of sick children . Some sites are disease specific , other sites cater to certain age groups. Overall, the sites provide a venue for families to discuss, share information and learn from others. Many of the social networking sites also provide tools and publications for families. Though the effectiveness of these sites on social support measures is unclear, they do provide peer to peer communication.

Article: The Wisdom of Patients: Health Care Meets Online Social Media (PDF - 788 KB)
Share your story , run by March of Dimes, hosts a forum where parents can share stories about their children.
iParenting is a website that provides resources and communities where parents can learn about information to maintain a healthy family.
Sophia's Garden is a community based approach to healing for parents of children with life-threatening conditions.
Article: The Internet as an adjunct for pediatric primary care - National Library of Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, George Washington University

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