Comparison of Health Information Technology Use Between American Adults With and Without Chronic Health Conditions: Findings From The National Health Interview Survey 2012

Background The use of health information technology (HIT) has been proposed to improve disease management in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Objective This study aims to report the prevalence of HIT use in adults with diabetes in the United States and examine the factors associated with HIT use. Methods We analyzed data from 7999 adults who self-reported a diabetes diagnosis as collected by the National Health Interview Survey (2016-2018). All analyses were weighted to account for the complex survey design. Results Overall, 41.2% of adults with diabetes reported looking up health information on the web, and 22.8% used eHealth services (defined as filled a prescription on the web, scheduled an appointment with a health care provider on the web, or communicated with a health care provider via email). In multivariable models, patients who were female (vs male: prevalence ratio [PR] 1.16, 95% CI 1.10-1.24), had higher education (above college vs less than high school: PR 3.61, 95% CI 3.01-4.33), had higher income (high income vs poor: PR 1.40, 95% CI 1.23-1.59), or had obesity (vs normal weight: PR 1.11, 95% CI 1.01-1.22) were more likely to search for health information on the web. Similar associations were observed among age, race and ethnicity, education, income, and the use of eHealth services. Patients on insulin were more likely to use eHealth services (on insulin vs no medication: PR 1.21, 95% CI 1.04-1.41). Conclusions Among adults with diabetes, HIT use was lower in those who were older, were members of racial minority groups, had less formal education, or had lower household income. Health education interventions promoted through HIT should account for sociodemographic factors.

Download Full-text

Health Information Technology Use among Patients with Self-Reported Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Evidence from the 2011-2018 National Health Interview Survey (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.23765 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Uchenna Nwokeji ◽

Erin M. Spaulding ◽

Rongzi Shan ◽

Ruth-Alma Turkson-Ocran ◽

Diana Baptiste ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Health Information ◽

National Health ◽

Social Determinants ◽

Technology Use ◽

National Health Interview Survey ◽

The Internet ◽

Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Interview Survey ◽

General Technology

BACKGROUND Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Health-Information Technologies (HIT) have recently emerged as a viable intervention to mitigate the burden of ASCVD. At least 60% of United States (US) adults report searching the internet for health information; however, previous research has not examined the prevalence of general technology or HIT use between adults with and without ASCVD. In addition, social determinants in HIT use among adults with ASCVD are not well understood. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence and social determinants of HIT use among U.S. adults with vs without self-reported ASCVD. METHODS We pooled cross-sectional data from the 2011-2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to examine general technology and HIT use between adults aged ≥18 years with and without self-reported ASCVD (coronary heart disease and/or stroke). General technology use was defined as mobile phone ownership, Internet use, and computer use. HIT use was defined as looking up health information on the Internet, filling a prescription online, scheduling a medical appointment on the Internet, communicating with a healthcare provider by email, or using online group chats to learn about health topics. We evaluated sociodemographic differences in HIT use among respondents using Poisson regression. Analyses were weighted according to NHIS standards. RESULTS A total sample of N=256,534 individuals were included, 2,194 (0.9%) reported prior ASCVD. Among adults with prior ASCVD, the mean (±SD) age was 70.6 (11.5) years, and 47% were female. General technology use differed between participants with and without prior ASCVD, with 36% (657/1,826) and 76% (162,500/213,816) indicating internet usage and 25% (394/1,575) and 61% (112,580/184,557) indicating using a computer every day, respectively. Similarly, adults with ASCVD were less likely to use HIT use than those without ASCVD (25% vs. 51%, p<0.001). Among adults with prior ASCVD, social determinants that were associated with HIT use included younger age, higher education, higher income, being employed, and being married. CONCLUSIONS HIT use was low among adults with a history of ASCVD, which may represent a barrier to delivering care via emerging HIT. Given the associations with social determinants such as income, education and employment, targeted strategies and policies are needed to eliminate barriers to impact HIT usage. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

Download Full-text

Use of Health Information Technology by Adults With Diabetes in the United States: Cross-sectional Analysis of National Health Interview Survey Data (2016-2018) (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.27220 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Seamus Y Wang ◽

Hsin-Chieh Yeh ◽

Arielle Apfel Stein ◽

Edgar R Miller

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

Information Technology ◽

Health Information Technology ◽

Health Information ◽

National Health Interview Survey ◽

The United States ◽

Interview Survey ◽

Ehealth Services ◽

The Web

BACKGROUND The use of health information technology (HIT) has been proposed to improve disease management in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. OBJECTIVE This study aims to report the prevalence of HIT use in adults with diabetes in the United States and examine the factors associated with HIT use. METHODS We analyzed data from 7999 adults who self-reported a diabetes diagnosis as collected by the National Health Interview Survey (2016-2018). All analyses were weighted to account for the complex survey design. RESULTS Overall, 41.2% of adults with diabetes reported looking up health information on the web, and 22.8% used eHealth services (defined as filled a prescription on the web, scheduled an appointment with a health care provider on the web, or communicated with a health care provider via email). In multivariable models, patients who were female (vs male: prevalence ratio [PR] 1.16, 95% CI 1.10-1.24), had higher education (above college vs less than high school: PR 3.61, 95% CI 3.01-4.33), had higher income (high income vs poor: PR 1.40, 95% CI 1.23-1.59), or had obesity (vs normal weight: PR 1.11, 95% CI 1.01-1.22) were more likely to search for health information on the web. Similar associations were observed among age, race and ethnicity, education, income, and the use of eHealth services. Patients on insulin were more likely to use eHealth services (on insulin vs no medication: PR 1.21, 95% CI 1.04-1.41). CONCLUSIONS Among adults with diabetes, HIT use was lower in those who were older, were members of racial minority groups, had less formal education, or had lower household income. Health education interventions promoted through HIT should account for sociodemographic factors.

Download Full-text