TY  - JOUR
AU  - Beard, Leslie
AU  - Wilson, Kumanan
AU  - Morra, Dante
AU  - Keelan, Jennifer
PY  - 2009
DA  - 2009/5/22
TI  - A Survey of Health-Related Activities on Second Life
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e17
VL  - 11
IS  - 2
KW  - User-computer interface
KW  - virtual systems
KW  - virtual worlds
KW  - Second Life
KW  - health education
KW  - social and behavioral research
KW  - behavioral research
KW  - health behavior
KW  - health behavior change
AB  - Background:  Increasingly, governments, health care agencies, companies, and private groups have chosen Second Life as part of their Web 2.0 communication strategies. Second Life offers unique design features for disseminating health information, training health professionals, and enabling patient education for both academic and commercial health behavior research. Objectives:  This study aimed to survey and categorize the range of health-related activities on Second Life; to examine the design attributes of the most innovative and popular sites; and to assess the potential utility of Second Life for the dissemination of health information and for health behavior change. Methods:  We used three separate search strategies to identify health-related sites on Second Life. The first used the application’s search engine, entering both generic and select illness-specific keywords, to seek out sites. The second identified sites through a comprehensive review of print, blog, and media sources discussing health activities on Second Life. We then visited each site and used a snowball method to identify other health sites until we reached saturation (no new health sites were identified). The content, user experience, and chief purpose of each site were tabulated as well as basic site information, including user traffic data and site size. Results:  We found a wide range of health-related activities on Second Life, and a diverse group of users, including organizations, groups, and individuals. For many users, Second Life activities are a part of their Web 2.0 communication strategy. The most common type of health-related site in our sample (n = 68) were those whose principle aim was patient education or to increase awareness about health issues. The second most common type of site were support sites, followed by training sites, and marketing sites. Finally, a few sites were purpose-built to conduct research in SL or to recruit participants for real-life research. Conclusions:  Studies show that behaviors from virtual worlds can translate to the real world. Our survey suggests that users are engaged in a range of health-related activities in Second Life which are potentially impacting real-life behaviors. Further research evaluating the impact of health-related activities on Second Life is warranted. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - http://www.jmir.org/2009/2/e17/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.1192
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19632971
DO  - 10.2196/jmir.1192
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/jmir.1192
ER  -