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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Rickie O. Brawer, MPH¹, Leah Beck, MS¹, and James Plumb, MD, MPH². (1) Office to Advance Population Health, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 1015 Chestnut, Suite 617, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-955-2396, Rickie.Brawer@mail.tju.edu, (2) Family and Community Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, 1015 Walnut Street, Suite 401, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Eng and colleagues (JAMA 1998) write “information and communication technologies may help to reduce disparities through their potential for promoting health, preventing disease and supporting clinical care for all”. In Philadelphia, many shelters have recognized the need to provide access to technology, however, health information found on the web is usually written at a high school level or above that is not “user friendly” or relevant for vulnerable populations with low health literacy levels, including many housed homeless women. The Office to Advance Population Health of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (OAPH) utilized participatory research methods to: (1) assess the attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and access issues related to breast health in sheltered women and (2) develop a breast health education program and website module tailored to the needs of housed homeless women in Philadelphia. The breast health website module developed expands on www.ITakeControl.org, a website developed by the Center for Collaborative Research at Thomas Jefferson University, that provides health education and chronic disease self-management information geared to the homeless community. A Project Advisory Council (PAC) consisting of formerly homeless women assisted OAPH in all aspects of the project, including website development. The website module was pre-tested for usability.

Learning Objectives: