Differences in media access and use between rural Native American and White children

David Bickham,Yulin Hswen,John Naslund

doi:10.22605/rrh2922

Abstract

Native American children experience greater disparities in the number and magnitude of health-related diseases than White children. Multimedia-based health interventions may afford valuable opportunities for reaching this underserved demographic; however, limited data are available describing the use of media technologies among Native Americans. This study characterized diverse media access and use between rural Native American and White children. Surveys were administered to students (n=477) aged 10-15 years in grades 6-8 across four public middle schools in the rural Upper Peninsula of the Midwestern USA state of Michigan. Native American children (n=41) were more likely than White children (n=436) to have a video game system in their bedroom (65.9% vs 45.4%; p=0.01) and watch more minutes of television on Saturdays (110.3±91.7 vs 80.7±80.8; p=0.03). Native American children also had fewer computers within the home (1.20±0.81 vs 1.68±1.21; p=0.01) than White children and less household internet access (75.6% vs 87.1%; p=0.04), but demonstrated more use in minutes after school (79.9±97.9 vs 51.1±71.6; p=0.02) and on Saturdays (92.6±107.4 vs 60.0±85.1; p=0.02). This represents the first cross-cultural comparison of media access and use between Native American and White children from rural Michigan. Greater computer and internet use observed among the Native American children surveyed in this study supports the use of web-based public health initiatives aimed at reducing health disparities within this vulnerable group.

Highlights

Native American children experience greater disparities in the number and magnitude of health-related diseases than White children
In regards to differences in personal access to media devices (Table 1), Native Americans were more likely to have a video game system in their bedroom (65.9%) than were Whites (45.4%; p=0.04)
Time spent using computers to access the internet was higher among Native American than among White children after school (79.8 min vs 51.0 min; p=0.02) and on Saturdays (92.4 min vs 60.0 min; p=0.02)

Summary

Introduction

Native American children experience greater disparities in the number and magnitude of health-related diseases than White children. Multimedia-based health interventions may afford valuable opportunities for reaching this underserved demographic; limited data are available describing the use of media technologies among Native Americans. Greater computer and internet use observed among the Native American children surveyed in this study supports the use of web-based public health initiatives aimed at reducing health disparities within this vulnerable group. Compared to other minority groups in the USA, Native American children experience the highest disparities from White children in both the number and magnitude of health-related diseases[1]. Multimedia-based health interventions, delivered through platforms such as the internet or video games, afford valuable opportunities for reaching Native American children, given that such approaches can overcome geographic barriers and have emerged as effective for targeting other underserved minority groups[2,3]. Even widely available population reports of children’s media use commissioned by the US Government[6], or from the Pew Research Center[7] or the Kaiser Foundation[8] have included few if any details regarding rates of media use among Native Americans

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