Impact of eHealth Empowerment Sessions on Orientation to Health in an Impoverished Community

Background: eHealth educational empowerment sessions were conducted by trained consumer health advocates from a Historically Black University and the community with 478 predominantly African American community residents in an underserved community. The residents were followed up three months later to ascertain whether or not the sessions could be associated with changes in orientation toward health (health information access, attitudes, or behaviors). Further qualitative information was gathered to ascertain types of changes if they occurred and to further understand the absence of change.

Methods: Follow-up self reported changes by a convenience sample of two hundred resident health consumers from an underserved community who received eHealth empowerment sessions were compared with these indices from a comparable group which did not receive the sessions, but which was offered it later.

Results: Findings indicated a statistically significant difference in mean difference scores indicative of relatively small steps in the direction of changes in orientation toward health (t-test comparisons) among the education group compared to the no education group.

Conclusions: eHealth education may be a viable mechanism for effecting small steps in the direction of changing orientation toward health in underserved populations, but the variables involved in the complexity of why some change while others do not needs to be further delineated as does the longevity of change.