Rural Alabamians' Unmet Medical Needs: Rethinking the Roles of Online Health Information-Seeking Behaviors.

IF 3.2 3区 医学 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Pub Date : 2024-10-28 DOI:10.1007/s40615-024-02207-6
Dongwook Kim, Young Ji Yoon, Luciana Giorgio Cosenzo, Hee Yun Lee
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Abstract

Introduction: Unmet medical needs in rural areas are of grave concern in the U.S. With the advent of digital technologies, the Internet has become a critical means for accessing essential health information. However, racial/ethnic minority rural communities experiencing scarcity in healthcare services and access to the Internet are underrepresented in digital health studies. This study examined the association between online health information-seeking behaviors and unmet medical needs in a sample of African/Black American adults living in a rural region of the U.S.

Methods: Among a sample of 191 adults, we used descriptive analyses to document the level of unmet medical needs and online health information-seeking behaviors of this population and conducted logistic regressions to test the association between online health information-seeking behaviors and unmet medical needs.

Results: Most participants were older than 50 years old (60.2%), female (68.1%), unemployed (57.6%), and had an annual income of less than $25,000 (60.2%). About 20% of participants experienced unmet medical needs. The mean score of online health information-seeking behaviors was 2.37 (range 0-12). Increasing online health information-seeking behaviors was associated with 5.95 increased odds of experiencing unmet medical needs (OR = 5.95, 95% CI 1.27-27.77).

Discussion: The finding highlights that it is necessary to develop targeted programs aimed at populations with high unmet medical needs, focusing on providing accessible health information and resources. Further research is warranted to investigate the motivations to engage in online health information-seeking behaviors to inform structural and workforce interventions to address unmet medical needs in this under-resourced region.

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阿拉巴马州农村居民未得到满足的医疗需求:重新思考在线健康信息搜索行为的作用
引言随着数字技术的发展,互联网已成为获取基本健康信息的重要手段。然而,在数字健康研究中,缺少医疗服务和互联网接入的少数民族农村社区的代表性不足。本研究以生活在美国农村地区的非裔/黑人美国成年人为样本,探讨了在线健康信息寻求行为与未满足的医疗需求之间的关联:在 191 名成人样本中,我们使用描述性分析记录了这一人群未满足的医疗需求水平和在线健康信息寻求行为,并进行了逻辑回归以检验在线健康信息寻求行为与未满足的医疗需求之间的关联:大多数参与者年龄在 50 岁以上(60.2%),女性(68.1%),失业(57.6%),年收入低于 25,000 美元(60.2%)。约 20% 的参与者的医疗需求未得到满足。在线健康信息寻求行为的平均得分为 2.37(范围为 0-12)。在线健康信息寻求行为的增加与医疗需求未得到满足的几率增加 5.95 相关(OR = 5.95,95% CI 1.27-27.77):讨论:这一研究结果表明,有必要针对未满足医疗需求较高的人群制定有针对性的计划,重点是提供可获取的健康信息和资源。有必要开展进一步研究,调查参与在线健康信息搜索行为的动机,为结构性干预措施和劳动力干预措施提供信息,以解决这一资源匮乏地区医疗需求得不到满足的问题。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-
CiteScore
7.30
自引率
5.10%
发文量
263
期刊介绍: Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities reports on the scholarly progress of work to understand, address, and ultimately eliminate health disparities based on race and ethnicity. Efforts to explore underlying causes of health disparities and to describe interventions that have been undertaken to address racial and ethnic health disparities are featured. Promising studies that are ongoing or studies that have longer term data are welcome, as are studies that serve as lessons for best practices in eliminating health disparities. Original research, systematic reviews, and commentaries presenting the state-of-the-art thinking on problems centered on health disparities will be considered for publication. We particularly encourage review articles that generate innovative and testable ideas, and constructive discussions and/or critiques of health disparities.Because the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities receives a large number of submissions, about 30% of submissions to the Journal are sent out for full peer review.
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