"A Matter of Life and Death": Mitigating the Gray Digital Divide in Using Health Information Technologies in the Post-Pandemic Era.

A pervasive issue in healthcare is that elderly populations have fallen far behind in using healthcare technologies, a phenomenon known as the gray digital divide. Even more concerningly, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically catalyzed health digitization with the potential for lasting demographic-wide impacts. Against this backdrop and drawing on both the digital divide literature and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2), we investigated elderly populations' usage of healthcare technologies through analyzing HINTS 6 (2022) survey data. Results show a widespread first- and second-level digital divide in using health information technologies (HITs) between people aged 65 and up and people aged 18-64, including Internet access, health-related Internet use, health-related social media use, health app use, use of wearable electronic health devices, telehealth visits, and accessing online medical records. Moreover, this study finds that education consistently positively predicts Internet use and use of various HITs by the elderly; income is the next reliable predictor but not as consistent as education. Health-related variables are less consistent in predicting the elderly's use of HITs. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed to inform the mitigation of the gray digital divide in healthcare.

A readability analysis of online mental health resources.

Analyzing the reading grade level of online mental health information is an important first step in ensuring that information is largely accessible by the general public, so as not to perpetuate existing health disparities across socioeconomic groups. The present study systematically examined grade-level readability of mental health information related to various psychiatric diagnoses, obtained from 6 highly utilized mental health websites, using a generalized estimating equations approach. Results suggest that, in general, the readability of mental health information is largely well above the 6th-to-8th grade level recommended by several national health organizations, including the CDC and NIH (Kutner, Greenberg, Jin, & Paulsen, 2006; National Institutes of Health, 2001, 2017), with reading-grade-level estimates from the model ranging from 5.62 to 17.9. Further efforts are required to ensure that writers of online health information do not exacerbate existing health disparities by ignoring these guidelines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Integrating Norm Activation Model and Theory of Planned Behavior to Understand Sustainable Transport Behavior: Evidence from China.

With increasing urbanization in China, many cities are facing serious environmental problems due to continuous and substantial increase in automobile transportation. It is becoming imperative to examine effective ways to reduce individual automobile use to facilitate sustainable transportation behavior. Empirical, theory-based research on sustainable transportation in China is limited. In this research, we propose an integrated model based on the norm activation model and the theory of planned behavior by combining normative and rational factors to predict individuals' intention to reduce car use. Data from a survey of 600 car drivers in China's three metropolitan areas was used to test the proposed model and hypotheses. Results showed that three variables, perceived norm of car-transport reduction, attitude towards reduction, and perceived behavior control over car-transport reduction, significantly affected the intention to reduce car-transport. Personal norms mediated the relationship between awareness of consequences of car-transport, ascription of responsibility of car-transport, perceived subjective norm for car-transport reduction, and intention to reduce car-transport. The results of this research not only contribute to theory development in the area of sustainable transportation behavior, but also provide a theoretical frame of reference for relevant policy-makers in urban transport management.

The role of illness factors and patient satisfaction in using online health support groups.

Drawing on the behavioral model of health services use and the PRECEDE-PROCEED model, this research explores various correlates of participation in online health support groups based on the 2007 Health Information National Trend Survey data. Results show that controlling for demographics, emotional health and family cancer history were significant correlates, whereas perceived general health status approached statistical significance, and personal cancer history and cancer worry were not significant. Moreover, patient-provider communication satisfaction approached statistical significance, and patient satisfaction with received health care was not statistically significant. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Correlates of consumer trust in online health information: findings from the health information national trends survey.

The past few decades have witnessed a dramatic increase in consumers seeking health information online. However, the quality of such information remains questionable, and the trustworthiness of online health information has become a hot topic, whereas little attention has been paid to how consumers evaluate online health information credibility. This study builds on theoretical perspectives of trust such as personal-capital-based, social-capital-based, and transfer-based, and it examines various correlates of consumer trust in online health information. The author analyzed the 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey data (N = 7,674). Results showed that consumer trust in online health information did not correlate with personal capital such as income, education, and health status. Social capital indicated by visiting social networking Web sites was not associated with trust in online health information either. Nevertheless, trust in online health information transferred from traditional mass media and government health agencies to the Internet, and it varied by such information features as easiness to locate and to understand. Age appeared to be a key factor in understanding the correlates of trust in online health information. Theoretical and empirical implications of the results are discussed.

A path analysis on correlates of consumer trust in online health information: evidence from the health information national trends survey.

Many people look for health information online, and the Internet is the third most trusted health information source. What implications does this trust have on consumer health? Not much research has been done in this area. This study explored various health-related correlates of consumer trust in online health information, including Internet use for health, self-efficacy belief in managing one's own health, negative emotions, and subjective health status. The 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey data were analyzed. Results showed that controlling for demographics, trust in online health information was directly related to both Internet use for health and the self-efficacy belief, and was indirectly associated with negative emotions; the latter two factors in turn were associated with self-rated health.

The depiction of illness and related matters in two top-ranked primetime network medical dramas in the United States: a content analysis.

The effectiveness of entertainment-education is evidenced in previous research; nevertheless, content analytic research on the health content in such programs has been relatively meager in comparison to the large amount of content analyses of health content in news or ads in print media or on television. To address this issue, the current study content analyzed the portrayals of illnesses and related matters in 127 episodes aired from 2000 to 2007 of two top-ranked television medical dramas in the United States (Grey's Anatomy and ER). Results indicated that the two shows portrayed a wide range of illnesses and diseases, with injury, cardiovascular disease, and cancer being the top three most frequently portrayed. Moreover, equal numbers of men and women patient characters were portrayed, Caucasians and African Americans were the top two portrayed races, and the elderly were underrepresented. Last, the shows framed illness and health mainly from a medical perspective in references to the illness's causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.