Click to Connect: Improving Health Literacy through Internet Literacy

描述（由申请人提供）：健康素养的定义是个人有能力获取、处理和理解做出适当卫生决定所需的基本卫生信息和服务的程度（美国卫生与公众服务部，2000年）。然而，有充分的证据表明，在通信服务的分配、数字鸿沟以及由此产生的优势方面存在着严重的不平等，从而威胁到培养具有卫生知识的公众这一规范目标。指导本项目的研究问题是：与常规护理条件下的对照组相比，改善社会弱势群体的互联网接入和如何使用互联网获取健康信息的培训是否会导致健康素养的变化，其次是健康知识和对健康的信念的变化？我们将从新英格兰最多元化的城市波士顿的成人教育中心招募258名受试者，并将他们随机分为干预组和对照组。干预组129名受试者将在家中免费提供电脑和高速互联网。他们还将获得如何使用电脑和浏览互联网的培训，以及一个为期一年的门户网站，帮助他们使用互联网。干预将分三波进行，每波每年43名受试者。基线和干预后数据。将通过电话调查收集两组受试者的信息，并跟踪干预组的互联网和电脑使用情况。该项目的数据将为设计未来的信息架构提供必要的信息，以解决针对社会弱势群体需求的卫生知识普及和数字鸿沟问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Health Literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions (US DHHS, 2000). Yet there is well-documented evidence for profound inequalities in the distribution of communications services, the digital divide, and advantages accruing from it thus threatening the normative goal of developing a health literate public. The research question guiding this project is: Does improving access to the Internet, and training in how to use the Internet for health information, among the socially disadvantaged lead to changes in health literacy, and secondarily in health knowledge and beliefs about health compared to a control group in usual care condition? We will recruit 258 subjects from adult education centers in Boston, the most diverse city in New England, and randomize them to either the intervention or control conditions. 129 subjects in the intervention group will be provided with free computers and high-speed Internet at home. They will also be provided with training on how to use computers and navigate the Internet, as well as a web portal that will help in the use of the Internet for one year. Intervention will occur in three waves with 43 subjects per wave per year. Baseline and post-Intervention data .will be gathered through a telephone survey of subjects in both groups and Internet and computer use will be tracked in the Intervention group. The data from this project will provide the necessary information to design future information architecture that can address health literacy and digital divide issues specific to the needs of the socially disadvantaged.