Promoting access to health information. A method to support older African Americans with diabetes

Pages806-820
Published date18 November 2019
Date18 November 2019
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-02-2019-0043
AuthorCharles R. Senteio
Subject MatterLibrary & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management
Promoting access to
health information
A method to support older African Americans
with diabetes
Charles R. Senteio
Department of Library and Information Science,
Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Abstract
Purpose Describe the design of a health information and technology educational intervention that
promotes health information sharing and technology use for older adult African Americans to support access
to health information. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach The study team developed a novel method to design the intervention. It
drew upon three approaches: intergenerational technology transfer, participatory design and community-
based participatory research.
Findings Older adult African Americans (55+) with diabetes and young adults (1854) connected to them
via familial or naturally occurring social networks designed the intervention, which was conducted in the two
study sites in Michigan, USA. In total, 29 participants helped design the intervention. Four themes emerged
concerning factors that promote intergenerational information exchange in the context of technology and
health. First, focus on one technology skill. Second, working together in small groups is preferred. Third,
patience is essential. Last, physical capabilities (i.e., eyesight, operating on relatively small screens) and
literacy levels should be considered.
Originality/value This novel method of having participants from the sample population select the
health information materials and technology exercises serves as a guide for implementing health
information and education interventions aimed at technology use to support self-management for vulnerable
patient populations.
Keywords Diabetes, Health information, Health disparities, Health inequity, Older adult technology use,
Technology for self-management
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Barriers to health information contribute to inequity in social connectivity and health
literacy ( Jeong and Kim, 2016; Wyatt et al., 2005), which is the ability to obtain, process,
understand, and communicate basic health information needed to make informed health
care decisions(Berkman et al., 2010). Various other factors, such as poverty, education,
race/ethnicity and disabilities influen ce levels of health literacy. Specifically, low
socioeconomic status and advanced age are associated with low health literacy. Causal
connections have been described between low socioeconomic status and low health literacy
(Knighton et al., 2017). Also, adults age 65 or older have lower health literacy than
individuals under the age of 65 (Kutner and Zhang, 2013). For example, Gazmararian et al.
(2003) found 36 percent of older adults had marginal or inadequate health literacy skills
and Kirk et al. (2012) found that two-thirds of older adults with diabetes had low or
inadequate health literacy. Older adults with less than a high school diploma or equivalent
level of education score significantly lower on health literacy scales than those with higher
levels of education (Kirk et al., 2012). Furthermore, low-resourced adults of all ages have
lower health literacy (Kutner and Zhang, 2013). African Americans disproportionally have
low health literacy levels, since African Americans in low-income urban communities
experience social and technical barriers to health information (Kutner and Zhang, 2013;
Osborn et al., 2013).
Aslib Journal of Information
Management
Vol. 71 No. 6, 2019
pp. 806-820
© Emerald PublishingLimited
2050-3806
DOI 10.1108/AJIM-02-2019-0043
Received 15 February 2019
Revised 22 May 2019
3June2019
13 June 2019
Accepted 2 July 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2050-3806.htm
806
AJIM
71,6

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