274431 Adolescent Health Information Seeking and eHealth Use

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 8:30 AM - 8:50 AM

Deena Chisolm, PhD , Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH
Today's wired generation of teens seems almost continuously attached to streams of communication from the Internet, smartphones, social networks, and more. While some of the information accessed through such sources relates directly to health, the quantity and quality of health information reaching teens through these media is uncertain. In this presentation, we will review adolescent health information seeking behavior with an emphasis on use of eHealth resources. Using data from national surveys and NIH-funded adolescent research, this presentation describes predictors of health information seeking, health related-online activities, and the relationship between health literacy and eHealth use. We will also discuss how these utilization patterns can guide the development of informational and eHealth-based disease management and health promotion interventions.

Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify health information sources commonly used by adolescents and young adults 2. Describe adolescent use of eHealth resources and list barriers and promoters of effective use 3. Apply understanding of adolescent use patterns to design and implementation of teen-targeted health interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health at The Ohio State University and a Principal Investigator in the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. My research is focused on improving effectiveness and equity in adolescent health and healthcare. I have served as PI on two NIH grants (NICHD and NIMHD) and am also the author of over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles on topics including health literacy, health information technology, and health disparities.
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.