Abstract
Objective: Parent use of technology to manage child health issues has the potential to improve access and health outcomes. Few studies have examined how parent health literacy affects usage of Internet and cell phone technologies for health management. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of data collected as part of a randomized controlled experiment in 3 urban pediatric clinics. English- and Spanish-speaking parents (n = 858) of children ≤8 years answered questions regarding use of and preferences related to Internet and cell phone technologies. Parent health literacy was measured using the Newest Vital Sign. Results: The majority of parents were high Internet (70.2%) and cell phone (85.1%) users (multiple times a day). A total of 75.1% had limited health literacy (32.1% low, 43.0% marginal). Parents with higher health literacy levels had greater Internet and cell phone use (adequate vs low: adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.7 [confidence interval, 1.2–2.5]) and were more likely to use them for health management (AOR, 1.5 [confidence interval, 1.2–1.8]); those with higher health literacy levels were more likely to use the Internet for provider communication (adequate vs marginal vs low: 25.0% vs 18.0% vs 12.0%, P =.001) and health-related cell phone apps (40.6% vs 29.7% vs 16.4%, P <.001). Overall preference for using technology for provider communication was high (∼70%) and did not differ by health literacy, although Internet and cell phone apps were preferred by higher literacy parents; no differences were seen for texting. Conclusions: Health literacy–associated disparities in parent use of Internet and cell phone technologies exist, but parents’ desire for use of these technologies for provider communication was overall high and did not differ by health literacy.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 23-30 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Academic Pediatrics |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2020 |
Funding
Financial disclosure: Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/ National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) ( R01HD070864 ). We thank our research staff and the staff of pediatric outpatient clinics at Bellevue Hospital Center, Gardner Packard Children's Health Center, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, for their support. Financial disclosure: Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (R01HD070864). Authorship Statement: N.M. participated in the design of the study, assisted in analysis and interpretation of the data, drafted the initial manuscript, and approved the final manuscript as submitted. A.G. helped conceptualize and design the study, was involved in the analysis and interpretation of the data, critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content, and approved the final manuscript as submitted. A.M. R.P. L.S. M.W. S.B. and B.D. helped conceptualize and design the study, were involved in the analysis and interpretation of the data, critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content, provided study supervision, and approved the final manuscript as submitted. J.V. participated in the design of the study, assisted in acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation of the data, critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content, and approved the final manuscript as submitted. H.S.Y. conceptualized and designed the study, analyzed and interpreted the data, helped draft the initial manuscript, critically revised the manuscript for important intellectual content, provided study supervision, and approved the final manuscript as submitted. Drs Bailey, Parker, and Wolf have served as consultants to, and received grant funding, from Merck, Sharp, and Dohme for work unrelated to this study. Drs Bailey and Wolf also have received grant funding via their institutions from Eli Lilly and have served as consultants to Luto Ltd and Pfizer. Drs Parker and Bailey have served as consultants to Northwestern University/the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Keywords
- health literacy
- parents
- technology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health