PREVIEW NOTES

Demand of the adolescent for education in health through virtual social networks: a descriptive study

Gabriela Silva dos Santos¹, Cláudia Mara de Melo Tavares^2
1,2 Fluminense Federal University

ABSTRACT:
This is a dissertation project for the Academic Master in Health Care Sciences at the Fluminense Federal University. Primary Aim: To analyze the demand for education in health in virtual social networks for adolescents who live with chronic renal diseases. Specific Aims: To describe the experiences of adolescents who live with chronic renal diseases with the use of virtual social networks to acquire information related to health; to identify the demand for health education of adolescents in virtual social networks and report the effects of these demands of these adolescents on the role of the nurse. Method: This is a descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, to be performed based on semi-structured interviews with adolescents that live with chronic renal diseases and who search for information related to health in virtual social networks.
Descriptors: Social Networking; Social Support; Nursing; Chronic Disease; Adolescent.

PROBLEM SITUATION AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

Non-transmittable chronic diseases are a health issue of greatest importance and are responsible for 72% of deaths. They strongly affect the poorest strata of society and vulnerable groups⁽¹⁾. One part of the general public which deserves  special attention when dealing with chronic diseases is the adolescent, as in this period between childhood and adulthood, the process is, in many cases, disturbing. Dealing with a chronic disease is a challenge both for the adolescent and his family, friends and health professionals.

With the Internet available, the virtual social networks are an important venue to promote health education to adolescents that live with chronic diseases and this is helped by their facility in technological means of communication. The virtual social networks have some advantages as they can be accessible in every place the Internet is available. Through these networks, it is possible to share information about many topics according to the interest of the public, and even to create specific discussion groups.

The virtual social network is related to the structure of the institutional dimension linked to an individual, while social support is found in the personal dimension, constituted by the members of this social network, effectively important to the families. The social network is a net of relationships that connects many individuals that may have social bonds, permitting supporting resources to flow through these bonds⁽²⁾.

This resource benefits people who are restricted to a certain space, unable to reach some sort of real social network. Observing a special group in a virtual social network that supports people that live with chronic renal disease called attention to and interest in researching the contribution of such virtual networks in educational practice in health to adolescents that live with chronic renal disease. The search for an understanding about the disease is an important step in the process of adaptation to the chronic condition, and it is seen as a positive strategy to face chronic disease⁽³⁾.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

What are the contributions of virtual social networks to health education of adolescents that live with chronic diseases? What is the demand for guidance in health by the adolescents that live with chronic diseases in virtual social networks? What is the role of the nurse in the process of health education of the adolescent through the virtual social networks?

AIMS

Primary: to analyze the demand in health education in virtual social networks of the adolescent that lives with chronic renal disease. Specific: to describe the experiences of adolescents that live with chronic renal disease with the use of virtual social networks to obtain information related to health; to identify the demand for health education in adolescents in virtual social networks and to report the effects of demands for health education of these adolescents on the role of the nurse.

METHOD

This is a descriptive study, with a qualitative approach. The subjects are adolescents that live with chronic renal diseases. Patients with ages from 12 to 20 years old will be included, in any stage of development of the disease (conservative, peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis or transplantation), who are present in the specialized service in adolescent health in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro and are selected for this study. To be excluded: patients that have never had any access to any virtual social network to search for information related to health in order to understand the process of disease; those that refuse to participate in the study or those whose legal guardians, in the case of the subjects under 18 years old, did not consent to the participation of the adolescents. This research will use the semi-structured interview to collect the data, from December 2013 to May 2014. The data obtained will be analyzed according to content topic analysis.

REFERENCES

1. Ministério da Saúde (Br). Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Departamento de Análise de Situação de Saúde. Plano de ações estratégicas para o enfrentamento das doenças crônicas não transmissíveis (DCNT) no Brasil 2011-2022.  Brasília : Ministério da Saúde, 2011.

2. Pedro ICS, Rocha SMM, Nascimento LC. Red y apoyo social en enfermería familiar: revisión de conc9eptos. Rev Latino-am Enferm 2008; 6(2): 324-7. Available from: <http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rlae/v16n2/es_24.pdf > [ Cited 2013 Jul 29 ]

3. Leite MF, Gomes IP, Ribeiro KSQS, Anjos UU, Moraes RM, Collet N. Coping strategies for caregivers of children with a chronic disease: a methodological study. Online braz j nurs [ Internet ]. 2013 June [ Cited 2013 Oct 5 ] 12 (2): 238-50. Available from: http://www.objnursing.uff.br/index.php/nursing/article/view/4056. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5935/1676-4285.20134056

Project Data
According to Resolution 466/12, the project was sent to the Ethics Committee of Medicine School of the Antônio Pedro College Hospital/Fluminense Federal University.

Received: 24/09/2013
Revised: 30/09/2013
Approved: 30/09/2013