Using Pender’s health promotion model to understand patient influencers’ promotion of chronic disease self-management

Abstract

Patient influencers are a type of social media influencer who build patient communities and share specific health information based on their “lived experience.” The current study applied the Health Promotion Model because patient influencers may be health promotion agents; these nuanced social media influencers are at the intersection of peer-to-peer communication and health promotion, engaging communities of patients about health and chronic disease self-management. Interviews (N = 37) were conducted to better understand patient influencers’ promotion of chronic disease self-management behaviors. Three themes were identified: representing the disease community; acting as intermediary of information; and supporting good health. Patient influencers communicated motivational strategies to followers by sharing their own experiences, including their personal experiences with chronic disease, behavioral perceptions, for example, perceived benefits and barriers, and their behavioral outcomes. Patients want to engage in self-management behaviors that produce value, and patient influencers help co-create value through the sharing of content and “lived experience.”