School of Communication, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.
J Med Internet Res. 2022 Mar 15;24(3):e32678. doi: 10.2196/32678.
The digital divide refers to technological disparities based on demographic characteristics (eg, race and ethnicity). Lack of physical access to the internet inhibits online health information seeking (OHIS) and exacerbates health disparities. Research on the digital divide examines where and how people access the internet, whereas research on OHIS investigates how intersectional identities influence OHIS. We combine these perspectives to explicate how unique context-device access pairings operate differently across intersectional identities-particularly racial and ethnic groups-in the domain of OHIS.
This study aims to examine how different types of internet access relate to OHIS for different racial and ethnic groups. We investigate relationships among predisposing characteristics (ie, age, sex, education, and income), internet access (home computer, public computer, work computer, and mobile), health needs, and OHIS.
Analysis was conducted using data from the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey. Our theoretical model of OHIS explicates the roles of internet access and health needs for racial and ethnic minority groups' OHIS. Participant responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Three separate group structural equation modeling models were specified based on Black, Latine, and White self-categorizations.
Overall, predisposing characteristics (ie, age, sex, education, and income) were associated with internet access, health needs, and OHIS; internet access was associated with OHIS; and health needs were associated with OHIS. Home computer and mobile access were most consistently associated with OHIS. Several notable linkages between predisposing characteristics and internet access differed for Black and Latine individuals. Older racial and ethnic minorities tended to access the internet on home and public computers less frequently; home computer access was a stronger predictor of OHIS for White individuals, and mobile access was a stronger predictor of OHIS for non-White individuals.
Our findings necessitate a deeper unpacking of how physical internet access, the foundational and multifaceted level of the digital divide, affects specific racial and ethnic groups and their OHIS. We not only find support for prior work on the digital divide but also surface new insights, including distinct impacts of context-device access pairings for OHIS and several relationships that differ between racial and ethnic groups. As such, we propose interventions with an intersectional approach to access to ameliorate the impact of the digital divide.
数字鸿沟是指基于人口特征（如种族和族裔）的技术差距。缺乏物理互联网接入会抑制在线健康信息搜索（OHIS），并加剧健康差距。数字鸿沟的研究考察了人们在哪里以及如何访问互联网，而 OHIS 的研究则调查了交叉身份如何影响 OHIS。我们结合这些观点，阐明了在 OHIS 领域，独特的上下文设备访问配对如何在不同的交叉身份（尤其是不同种族和族裔群体）中发挥不同的作用。
本研究旨在研究不同类型的互联网接入与不同种族和族裔群体的 OHIS 之间的关系。我们调查了倾向特征（即年龄、性别、教育和收入）、互联网接入（家庭计算机、公共计算机、工作计算机和移动设备）、健康需求和 OHIS 之间的关系。
分析使用了 2019 年健康信息国家趋势调查的数据。我们的 OHIS 理论模型阐明了互联网接入和健康需求在少数族裔群体 OHIS 中的作用。使用结构方程建模对参与者的回答进行了分析。根据黑人、拉丁裔和白人的自我分类，指定了三个单独的组结构方程模型。
总体而言，倾向特征（即年龄、性别、教育和收入）与互联网接入、健康需求和 OHIS 相关；互联网接入与 OHIS 相关；健康需求与 OHIS 相关。家庭计算机和移动设备访问与 OHIS 的关联最为密切。黑人及拉丁裔个体中，几个与倾向特征和互联网接入相关的显著联系存在差异。年龄较大的少数族裔较少频繁地在家中和公共计算机上访问互联网；家庭计算机接入是白人 OHIS 的更强预测因素，而移动接入是非白人 OHIS 的更强预测因素。
我们的研究结果需要更深入地剖析物理互联网接入（数字鸿沟的基础和多方面层面）如何影响特定的种族和族裔群体及其 OHIS。我们不仅为数字鸿沟的先前研究提供了支持，还提出了新的见解，包括对 OHIS 的上下文设备访问配对的独特影响以及不同种族和族裔群体之间的几个关系。因此，我们提出了具有交叉性的接入干预措施，以减轻数字鸿沟的影响。
