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Abstract
BackgroundSociodemographic and health-related factors are often investigated for their association with the active use of electronic health (eHealth). The importance of such factors has been found to vary, depending on the purpose or means of eHealth and the target user groups. Pakistanis are one of the biggest immigrant groups in the Oslo area, Norway. Due to an especially high risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) among this population, knowledge about their use of eHealth for T2D self-management and prevention (self-care) will be valuable for both understanding this vulnerable group and for developing effective eHealth services.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine how commonly were the nine types of eHealth for T2D self-care being used among our target group, the first-generation Pakistani immigrants living in the Oslo area. The nine types of eHealth use are divided into three broad categories based on their purpose: information seeking, communication, and active self-care. We also aimed to investigate how sociodemographic factors, as well as self-assessment of health status and digital skills are associated with the use of eHealth in this group.MethodsA survey was carried out in the form of individual structured interviews from September 2015 to January 2016 (N=176). For this study, dichotomous data about whether or not an informant had used each of the nine types of eHealth in the last 12 months and the total number of positive answers were used as dependent variables in a regression analysis. The independent variables were age, gender, total years of education, digital skills (represented by frequency of asking for help when using information and communication technology [ICT]), and self-assessment of health status. Principal component analyses were applied to make categories of independent variables to avoid multicollinearity.ResultsPrincipal component analysis yielded three components: knowledge, comprising total years of education and digital skills; health, comprising age and self-assessment of health status; and gender, as being a female. With the exception of closed conversation with a few specific acquaintances about self-care of T2D (negatively associated, P=.02) and the use of ICT for relevant information-seeking by using search engines (not associated, P=.18), the knowledge component was positively associated with all the other dependent variables. The health component was negatively associated with the use of ICT for closed conversation with a few specific acquaintances about self-care of T2D (P=.01) but not associated with the other dependent variables. Gender component showed no association with any of the dependent variables.ConclusionsIn our sample, knowledge, as a composite measure of education and digital skills, was found to be the main factor associated with eHealth use regarding T2D self-care. Enhancing digital skills would encourage and support more active use of eHealth for T2D self-care.
Highlights
Factors Associated With Electronic Health UseIn the last decade, we have seen a rapid development of accessible information and communication technology (ICT)
In our sample, knowledge, as a composite measure of education and digital skills, was found to be the main factor associated with electronic health (eHealth) use regarding type 2 diabetes (T2D) self-care
From a larger survey among first-generation Pakistani immigrants in Oslo, this paper focuses on results regarding the use of eHealth for self-care of T2D depending on its purpose and means, which are categorized as follows: (A) For seeking T2D-relevant information: (a) by using search engines that require input of search terms, (b) on specific websites or by email subscriptions that can be navigated by only scrolling and clicking, or (c) by searching for software programs on personal http://publichealth.jmir.org/2017/4/e68/
Summary
Factors Associated With Electronic Health (eHealth) UseIn the last decade, we have seen a rapid development of accessible information and communication technology (ICT). The cost of accessing the Internet has decreased, especially mobile broadband, and there has been an increase in the variety of services and products for personal self-care Commensurate with this trend, the use of electronic health (eHealth) has become a general practice in many developed countries. Purposes for using eHealth for self-care include, for example, seeking related information [1-10], Web-based communication with health care experts or peers [9,11-13], and keeping track of user’s health information or self-assessment for reflection on self-care [5,9,14,15]. These purposes are common for both prevention and self-management of various types of diseases, especially lifestyle-related chronic diseases. Due to an especially high risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) among this population, knowledge about their use of eHealth for T2D self-management and prevention (self-care) will be valuable for both understanding this vulnerable group and for developing effective eHealth services
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