Information sharing and seeking about nutrition-related complementary and alternative medicines in online forums for people affected by cancer: A content analysis of discussion threads

Background

Online forums are a key source of information about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for people affected by cancer, especially when information needs are not met in healthcare settings. This study therefore investigated nutrition-related CAM information seeking and sharing in online forums for people affected by cancer.

Methods

This study was conducted in a major online platform that hosts over 10 forums for people affected by cancer and has more than 10,000 registered users. A search strategy was applied to the forums to identify discussion threads with nutrition-related CAM information from January 2020 to December 2023. Content analysis was used to code the topic of, reason for, and source of nutrition-related CAM information sought or shared.

Results

Of 121 threads retrieved, 40 eligible threads contained 155 instances of nutrition-related CAM information seeking or sharing across 86 posts authored by 54 unique users. Most (89%) instances were information sharing rather than seeking. Topics commonly shared included using food items for medicinal purposes (e.g., ginger to reduce nausea) (25%), other sources of nutrition-related CAM information (e.g., book or naturopath) (17%), and oral nutrition supplements (16%). Most common reasons for sharing nutrition-related CAM information were strategies to manage treatment side effects (52%) and as complementary treatment (22%). Information shared was mostly sourced from personal opinion (44%) or experience (33%).

Conclusions

Information sharing about nutrition-related CAM is relatively common in online forums for people affected by cancer. Healthcare professionals should facilitate access to evidence-based information and advise caution when interpreting information shared in forums.