271327 E-health research and interventions via an innovative website: Meeting the health challenges of women of color across the life span

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 11:15 AM - 11:30 AM

Barbara Wallace, PhD , Department of Health and Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY
     
This presentation summarizes the methods and results for approximately 12 research studies focused on women's health challenges across the lifespan--ranging from the HIV/AIDS, to other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), to obesity and the need to improve diet and increase exercise, to breast cancer prevention and treatment options, to the use of beauty parlors for providing health education. In addition, the presenation summarizes how the studies were hosted on a website created in 2006 to meet the exclusive needs of women of color, such as African Americans. Since 2006, the website has hosted over a dozen studies; and, in each case, the research aim included providing research study participants with access to online resources for improving disease prevention, health promotion, and achieving wellness across the lifespan. For example, the website, www.DIVAhealth.org, has 19 videos in English providing health education and access to role models for adaptive coping responses, plus another 6 videos in Creole tailored to meet the needs of Haitian women. In addition, the website has portals addressing specific health needs and interests of women, including access to interventions, such as the following: a diabetes peer education training curriculum to improve self-management that is codified in an additional dozen videos; and, an HIV/AIDS prevention peer education training curriculum for capacity building (i.e. taken from a book providing evidence-based behavior change strategies: stages of change, motivational interviewing, relapse prevention). The presentation focuses on 12 studies that reveal compelling methods for conducting online research--including protocols for conducting online focus groups and surveys.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to: identify effective techniques for conducting online e-health research with women across the lifespan; design e-health researh studies that engage diverse women via e-mail, facebook, linked in, text-messaging, and twitter for rapid data collection; formulate methods for integrating data collection and the provision of access to online interventions that facilitate disease prevention and achievement of wellness; explain the value of a website that has been able to host a dozen research studies online and also provide a wealth of e-health education/interventions--available for free public access.

Keywords: Women's Health, Research Agenda

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: My qualifications include: Founder/Director of the Research Group on Disparities in Health at Teachers College, Columbia University; Founder/Conference Director, the Annual Health Disparities Conference at Teachers College, Columbia University (2006-2009, to be revived in 2013); editor of the volume, Toward equity in health: A new global approach to health disparities (Springer, 2008); author/editor of 6 other books, and approximately 60 other academic publications; tenured Full Professor of Health Education; and, over 150 conference presentations--national/international.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4089.0: Women’s health challenges across the life span