Who Uses eHealth?

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

A study shows that age, sex and socioeconomic status are all factors in eHealth use.

A recent study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Predictors of eHealth Usage: Insights on The Digital Divide From the Health Information National Trends Survey 2012, sought to answer the question, who uses eHealth?

According to Fierce Health IT, the researchers used data from the National Cancer Institute’s 2012 Health Information National Trends survey. This showed that overall eHealth usage by adults is only at about 19 percent nationwide. This includes emailing physicians, tracking health information online, and in some cases buying medicine online.

“Younger generations who have grown up with technology have been labeled “digital natives” and they are more comfortable using technology for everyday needs, including management of their health care needs. In comparison, older generations, labeled “digital immigrants,” have had to learn and acquire the necessary skills needed to navigate the Internet and are generally less comfortable using technology,” write researchers.

Those between the ages of 18 and 34 had more than twice the odds of engaging in online provider searches compared to the oldest group, ages 65 years and older.

“Females also tend to have increased eHealth utilization due in part to their higher engagement in both health care-related online activities and increased use of general social media, such as SNS. This could be because of their role as the health care liaison for their family members.”

The study also found those with the lowest levels of education, generally people who have a high school degree or less, are unlikely to use the Web to either search for a healthcare provider or to go online to communicate with a doctor or doctor's office. However, this same group of people were more likely to use social media to read or share information about medical topics.

Researchers concluded, “This study illustrates that lower SES, older, and male online US adults were less likely to engage in a number of eHealth activities compared to their counterparts. In an effort to reduce existing disparities in health outcomes, clinical and public health communication strategies should be attuned to these differences in online use.”