TY - JOUR AU - Oakley-Girvan, Ingrid AU - Watterson, Jessica L AU - Jones, Cheryl AU - Houghton, Lauren C AU - Gibbons, Marley P AU - Gokal, Kajal AU - Magsamen-Conrad, Kate PY - 2021 DA - 2021/7/30 TI - Use of Social Media for Cancer Prevention Through Neighborhood Social Cohesion: Protocol for a Feasibility Study JO - JMIR Res Protoc SP - e28147 VL - 10 IS - 7 KW - social cohesion KW - mothers KW - neighborhood KW - physical activity KW - social media KW - social KW - behavior KW - health outcomes KW - socioeconomic status KW - community health KW - chronic disease KW - social network KW - feasibility KW - wellbeing KW - cancer AB - Background: Social cohesion is associated with healthier behaviors and better health outcomes, and therefore may offer a mechanism for promoting better health. Low socioeconomic status (SES) communities face higher rates of chronic disease due to both community- and individual-level factors. Objective: The aim of this study is to leverage social cohesion to promote healthier behaviors and prevent chronic disease in a low SES community. This protocol outlines the methodology for a pilot study to assess the feasibility of an intervention (Free Time For Wellness [FT4W]) using a social networking platform (Nextdoor) with mothers living in an urban, low-income community to improve social cohesion and promote healthy behaviors. Methods: The study will involve three phases: (I) co-designing the intervention with mothers in the neighborhoods of interest, (II) implementing the intervention with community leaders through the social networking platform, and (III) evaluating the intervention’s feasibility. Phase I of the study will include qualitative data collection and analysis from in-depth, semistructured interviews and a co-design group session with mothers. Phases II and III of the study include a pre- and postintervention survey of participating mothers. Neighborhood-level data on social cohesion will also be collected to enable comparison of outcomes between neighborhoods with higher and lower baseline social cohesion. Results: As of March 2021, recruitment and data collection for this study are complete. This protocol outlines our original study plan, although the final enrollment numbers and intervention implementation deviated from our initial planned methodology that is outlined in this protocol. These implementation learnings will be shared in subsequent publications of our study results. Conclusions: Ultimately, this study aims to: (1) determine the barriers and facilitators to finding free time for wellness among a population of low-income mothers to inform the co-design process, and (2) implement and study the feasibility of an intervention that leverages social cohesion to promote physical activity in a community of low-income mothers. The results of this study will provide preliminary feasibility evidence to inform a larger effectiveness trial, and will further our understanding of how social cohesion might influence well-being. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): RR1-10.2196/28147 SN - 1929-0748 UR - https://www.researchprotocols.org/2021/7/e28147 UR - https://doi.org/10.2196/28147 UR - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34328445 DO - 10.2196/28147 ID - info:doi/10.2196/28147 ER -