title: Sharing sensitive health information through social media in the Arab world.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sharing daily activities on social media has become a part of our lifestyle, but little is known about sharing sensitive health information in the Arab world.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to explore how social media users in the Arab world share sensitive health information through Facebook.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective qualitative analysis was used in the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 110 Facebook groups, related to HIV, sickle cell and depression were screened between 5 June and 1 December 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty four Facebook groups met the inclusion criteria. 28 471 posts were extracted, of which 649 met inclusion criteria. Forty two percent of health information exchanged were related to HIV, 34% to depression and 24% to sickle cell diseases. The majority of postings were from Egypt 21.1%, Saudi Arabia 20%, Algeria 10% and Libya 9.2%. Male posts were 54.2% while 45.8% were posted by females. Individuals utilized Facebook groups to share personal experiences of their disease 31%, in addition to being used for seeking queries 13.6%, offering explicit advice 8.3%, reporting signs and symptoms of the disease 7.3% and posting their communication with the health-care provider 6.6%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Users in the Arab world use social media to exchange sensitive health information, which could have serious implications regarding the privacy of the information shared with other members of the group. On the other hand, sharing health information could have positive effects for patients, such as sharing disease experiences and peer support. However, more work is needed to ensure that Facebook users in the Arab world are aware of the potential consequences of sharing sensitive health information through social media.
authors.affiliation: King Saud Bin Abdul-Aziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Eman
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Asiri
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khalifa
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.|International Center for Health Information Technology, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Syed-Abdul
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shabir
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (SPHPM), Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Md Nassif
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.affiliation: International Center for Health Information Technology, Taipei, Taiwan.|Master's Program in Global Health & Development Department, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Usman
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Iqbal
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Informatics, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh , Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mowafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Househ
mesh_terms: D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell; D018643:Arab World; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006678:HIV; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D008297:Male; D018907:Privacy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D061108:Social Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Arab world; Facebook; diseases; internet; privacy issues; sensitive health information; social media