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“You don't have to know how to read to get health information from the Internet!”: Reducing the digital divide through a tailored multimedia Internet interface to provide Ethiopian immigrants with low-literacy skills with information on health issues they chose
Though the internet is increasingly an important source of health information, it contributes to social gaps when disadvantaged and low-literacy groups have limited access to it or the online information is not tailored to their specific needs. For immigrants generally dependent on others (such as children) by language limitations, it is particularly important to access sensitive health information independently. This applied participatory research project aimed to address this challenge by designing relevant multimedia information to enhance Ethiopian immigrants’ capacities to access and use health information on their own.
Methods
The research project was conducted in collaboration with an Ethiopian immigrant community organization in Israel. First, to select information topics, group discussions and 35 interviews were conducted with community members, practitioners working with Ethiopian immigrants, and the community organization. The second phase developed a website with a culturally appropriate interface for low-literacy immigrants (pictures and sound). In parallel, a team wrote scripts with health professionals and videotaped the information.
Results
Participants raised various information needs, some with cultural sensitivities such as reproductive health, others relating to their challenges as immigrants with chronic illnesses (mainly diabetes) and child rearing, as related to nutrition and children’s consumption of ‘western’ sweets and ‘junk food’ rather than healthier Ethiopian traditional foods. Over 60 short videos featuring community members were produced and placed on a culturally tailored website. Some used a narrative format with Ethiopian proverbs.
Conclusion
The participatory approach enabled the design and implementation of a multimedia information resource presenting culturally relevant health information for the immigrant population.
Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health educationDiversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Learning Objectives:
Discuss important reasons for developing multimedia formats for low-literacy populations
Differentiate between an internet interface that limits access to low-literacy populations and an internet interface that enables them to use it
Explain the process of a participatory research designed to identify health information needs including topics considered socially and culturally sensitive.
Keyword(s): Health Literacy, Internet
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present this study because I am a researcher in the area of Health Communication at Tel-Aviv University and I am conducting a research project entitled “Reducing the Digital Divide in Health Information: Can Multimedia Formats Be Effective in Disseminating Information about Health Through the Internet to Low-Literacy Disadvantaged Populations”. Also, I serve as a Lecturer of Health Communication at Department of Communication and the Department of Health Promotion at Tel-Aviv University.
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.