274432 Health Information Seeking by Parents in the Age of New Media

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 8:50 AM - 9:10 AM

Jennifer A. Manganello, PhD, MPH , Department of Health Policy, Management, & Behavior, University at Albany School of Public Health, Rensselaer, NY
Marla L. Clayman, PhD, MPH , Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University &, Division of General Internal Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
Amy Jordan, PhD , Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Health information seeking by individuals has grown as technology has made information more readily available. In recent years, new tools including eHealth and mHealth tools, have become widely used as a way to access health information for adults, including parents. Given that parents are not only responsible for their own health but for the health of others, it is important to understand the patterns of health information seeking for this population. Use patterns, including type and frequency of information sources used, and for what purposes, are important to understand for the planning and implementation of health promotion programs for parents as they can suggest which channels would be most preferred and most effective to use. This presentation will provide an overview of what is known about health information seeking by parents. Original data analysis will also be presented. Research using Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 2007 data and data collected from a national sample of mothers in 2012 will be presented. Given that further investigation of issues related to health information seeking and use of new media by parents is warranted, ideas for future research and interventions will be discussed.

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

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe current data regarding health information seeking by parents 2. Identify ways new media, including social and mobile media, can help parents obtain health information 3. Explain the differences in access to technology and variations in health literacy may contribute to health disparities among parents

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to be a presenter on the content that I am responsible for because I am an Associate Professor at the UAlbany School of Public Health and my area of research includes a focus on health information seeking by parents and how eHealth can be used to improve health for parents and their children. I have been working on several studies related to this topic.
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: 3061.0: Health Information Seeking Across the Lifespan (Organized by HCWG)