Browsing by Subject "health information"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Development and Interim Evaluation of WeCare Indiana: a Community-tailored Text Messaging Intervention to Reduce Infant Mortality in East Central Indiana
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Gelarden, I.A.; Shieh, Carol; Clark, J.L.; Fry, S.J.; Smithson, G.E.; Thomas, R.R.; Umoren, R.A.
    Background: Text messaging is an effective way to distribute health information and reduce risky health behaviors.1,2 In 2014, the East Central Indiana Fetal and Infant Mortality Program of the Delaware County Health Department developed a community-based text messaging intervention program called “WeCare Indiana” as an innovative approach to promote positive pregnancy outcomes. This abstract reports the interim evaluation of health promotional text messages for prenatal clients. Methods: The program was developed using a community-collaborative model. Over 200 prenatal and infant health text messages were reviewed and evaluated by community representatives. Messages included information regarding fetal and infant development, health promotion, and risk prevention strategies with links to local resources. Prenatal messages were then reviewed by prenatal clients for their relevance, clarity, and likelihood to change healthrelated behavior during pregnancy. The program was promoted locally and currently has 98 enrollees. A 4-month interim program evaluation was developed to assess program awareness, reasons for enrolling or not enrolling, and overall satisfaction with text message content. A convenience sample of prenatal clients at a Federally Qualified Health Center participated in the evaluation process. Results: Of the 43 prenatal clients that participated, 10 (23%) clients had heard about the health messaging service. Of those participants, 6 (60%) had chosen to enroll in the program. Enrollees reported hearing about the program through word of mouth, posters, fliers, health care providers, and social media. Reasons given for not enrolling included lack of awareness or interest, technical difficulties, and procrastination. All enrollees reported that the messages were helpful. Conclusions: An effort to reduce fetal and infant mortality in East Central Indiana led to the development and evaluation of community-tailored health messages. The evaluation results will be used to encourage client awareness and enrollment in the program.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    An intercultural analysis of sources of medical information in Spanish-speaking diabetes patients
    (2012-12) Antón, Marta; Connor, Ulla; Lauten, Kathryn; Balunda, Stephanie
    Understanding and improving health literacy have become important goals in health communication. Research has shown that limited health literacy is associated with poor health outcomes and that it is more prevalent in culturally and linguistically diverse populations. The goals of this study are to describe English-speaking (ES) and Spanish-speaking (SS) diabetic patients’ perceptions of sources of health information, to identify the actions patients report taking in seeking that information, and to test reading comprehension of medical information among SS patients. Data for this study were based on semi-structured interviews, life-story narratives, and a reading comprehension test with diabetic patients (43 native ES patients and 22 native SS patients with limited English proficiency) collected at a bilingual clinic and at an English-speaking clinic in the Midwestern United States (Indianapolis, Indiana). The results showed that the three approaches to the assessment of health literacy revealed disparities in access and use of sources of information as well as disparities in reading comprehension of health information. In view of the results, we argue that understanding and assessing health literacy, particularly in the case of ethnic minorities, requires complementary approaches of study. Emphasis should be placed on addressing the disparities SS patients face. Interventions should aim at maximizing the role of oral sources of information, training patients to use a wider variety of sources, and designing linguistically and culturally appropriate sources of health information for patients with limited English proficiency.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Privacy and Security Risks and Requirements with Healthcare IT: Hitting a Home Run Instead of a Foul Ball
    (2012-11-13) Hook, Sara Anne; Jones, Josette
    Using baseball as a metaphor, this practical, engaging session will explore the security and privacy risks with a number of technologies for storing, handling and communicating health information and highlight the legal obligations and technological requirements for collecting, preserving and producing health information as part of an electronic discovery process.