Health information we searches by low-literacy adults.

描述(由申请人提供)： 这项研究的目的是确定低识字技能的成年人如何在互联网上获取和评估健康信息。虽然互联网是传播健康信息的强大工具，但大多数健康网站要求至少具备高中水平的阅读能力才能获得最佳访问权限。低识字率成年人在互联网上查找健康信息的能力以及他们对这些信息的反应在很大程度上是未知的。为了加深我们对低识字率成年人使用互联网寻求健康信息的了解，本项目旨在：1.确定低识字率个人在互联网上搜索健康信息以及在健康网站内部和之间导航所使用的策略。受试者将在互联网上搜索信息，以回应与健康相关的简短插曲。在这些一对一的会议期间，将使用屏幕捕获软件和观察日志。这一目标的结果将揭示网站创建者可能使用的战略，以确保低识字率的个人在其网站上获取最重要的信息。2.对低SES个体对在线健康信息的反应进行分类。这项研究将确定低识字率的人是否能够阅读他们在网上找到的健康信息，并根据网站内容成功回答问题。分析将包括在网站上花费的时间长度，受试者导航到有用信息的能力，以及受试者的主观反应。3.确定低识字率个人在对健康网站进行评级时使用的评估标准。将提取主题，揭示主题认为特别有帮助或没有帮助的网站特征。这些将与互联网用户在对主流健康网站进行评级时使用的标准的公布报告进行比较。4.开发一个原型网站，其中包括确定的低识字率个人的偏好，并测试受试者浏览网站和回忆网站上显示的关键知识点的能力。受试者与这个网站的互动将与与以标准格式和语言水平呈现相同信息的对照网站的互动进行比较。这一目标将促进网络资源的开发，向低收入和低识字率的个人提供可获得的健康信息，并可能最终提高这一群体成员的健康素养。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this research study is to determine how adults with low literacy skills access and evaluate health information on the Internet. Although the Internet is a powerful vehicle for disseminating health information, most health websites require at least a high-school reading proficiency for optimal access. The ability of low literacy adults to navigate the Internet to find health information and their responses to that information are largely unknown. In order to further our understanding of Internet usage by low-literacy adults seeking health information, this project aims to: 1. Identify strategies used by low literacy individuals to search for health information on the Internet and to navigate within and between health websites. Subjects will search for information on the Internet in response to short health-related vignettes. Screen capture software and observational logs will be used during these one-on-one sessions. Results of this aim will reveal strategies that website creators may use in order to ensure that low-literacy individuals access information of greatest importance on their sites. 2. Categorize responses of low SES individuals towards online health information. This study will establish whether low-literacy individuals are able to read the health information they find online and successfully answer questions based on website content. Analyses will include length of time spent at sites, the ability of subjects to navigate toward useful information, and the subjective responses of subjects. 3. Identify evaluation criteria used by low-literacy individuals in rating health websites. Common themes revealing website features which subjects view as particularly helpful or unhelpful will be extracted. These will be compared to published reports of criteria used by Internet users in rating mainstream health sites. 4. Develop a prototype website incorporating identified preferences of low literacy individuals and test subjects' ability to navigate the site and recall key knowledge points presented on it. Subjects' interactions with this site will be compared to interactions with a control site presenting the same information in a standard format and language level. This aim will facilitate the development of web resources that provide accessible health information to individuals from low incomes and low literacy levels and may ultimately augment the health literacy of members of this population.