Web-based interventions can be very attractive because they are convenient, easily accessible, and can maintain anonymity and privacy [33]. Grant support for the three described studies: for the IBS study: Dutch Digestive Foundation; for the Diabetes type 2 study: OAUC and The Research
Council of Norway (RCN); for the chronic widespread pain study: The Torin 1 order Research Council of Norway Grant no: 182014/V50. These funding sources had no involvement in the conduct of the research, preparation of the article, study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, writing of the report; and decision to submit the paper for publication. No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. The last author initiated the paper and drafted the first submission, the first author revised the initial draft together with the co-authors. Each see more author was funded by her own institute. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the article. “
“Health organizations are increasingly present online through websites that provide health information to consumers [1]. These websites represent an effort by health organizations to respond to the increasing number of consumers
who look for health Sitaxentan information on the internet, by offering quality information [2]. In the area of spinal cord injury (SCI), key organizations have promoted online endeavors that provide valuable information [3]. For example, the International Spinal Cord Society launched elearnSCI.org, which, although specifically targeted to health professionals, can be accessed by consumers. The Canadian
Paraplegic Association Ontario in partnership with the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute launched SpinalCordConnections.ca. As part of the Victorian Spinal Cord Injury Program, SpinalHub.com.au was launched by a partnership of several Australian organizations. In the German landscape, the Manfred Sauer Foundation launched Der-Querschnitt.de. In producing these websites, health organizations invest significant resources to provide health information in the traditional one-way (professional-to-consumer) model of communication: health information is created by groups of experts in the field as a resource to educate the community [4]. These educational endeavors are important. They foster the growth of health literacy that is at the core of self-management of health conditions [5] and [6]. However, as shown in the past few years, one-way communication as a channel for influencing health behavior has limitations [4] and [7].