New research from Oregon State University indicates that barriers to internet use may be preventing chronically ill middle-aged and older women from being as healthy as they could be.
The study conducted by researchers from the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences and the University of Georgia analyzed data from hundreds of women age 44 and older with at least one chronic condition. Researchers found that 35 percent didn't use the internet at all. Of those women who did access the internet, fewer than half used it to learn from the experiences of other chronic-disease patients. Also, fewer than 20 percent took part in online discussions regarding their conditions.
Self-care, including the use of online resources, is an important component in managing chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, depression and anxiety, the researchers note. Effective management of these conditions delays or prevents them from becoming debilitating, they point out.
The research showed the potential for improved condition management by getting online resources into the hands of more patients.
"We want people to be able to optimize their health," researcher Carolyn Mendez-Luck, an assistant professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences at OSU, said in statement.
Among the 418 women participating in the study, internet use for self-care varied depending on factors that included age, the specific condition or conditions a patient had, education level and ethnic background.
"It really seemed to be the lower-resourced individuals who weren't using the internet and thus online resources," Mendez-Luck said. "If you're older, if you're a member of a minority group, if you're less educated, if you're not working, all of those things work against you and impede your use of the internet; that's what this research suggests."
The women in the study completed, via telephone, the National Council on Aging Chronic Care Survey and all had one or more chronic conditions.
The study featured two parts. The first analyzed data in terms of socio-demographics, disease types and healthcare management associated with internet use, and the second focused on the 251 internet-using women to identify the online self- care resources they use and for what purposes.
About 31 percent of the women in the study were 65 and older; 30 percent had three or more chronic conditions; and 65 percent said they used the internet.
