Debra Murphy presented a poster at the International Conference on AIDS in Toronto. Her poster was titled: "High tech and HIV literacy in an impoverished African-American community: can certified consumer help Health advocates help to bridge the gap?"
Murphy D.1, Dean D.2
1Huston-Tillotson University, Psychology, Austin, United States
2Huston-Tillotson University, Health Services, Austin, United States
Issues: The access and literacy of HIV information continue to be ongoing barriers in impoverished communities most impacted by HIV, but with the advent of greater Internet accessibility, its role as a potential bridge in this gap has been increasingly examined.
Description: The role of eHealth education/training in impacting self perceptions about: racial disparities in health susceptibility; knowledge of information provided by online HIV informational sources; benefits of using online HIV information; skills competencies in accessing online HIV information; accessibility of online HIV information; intent to use online HIV information; and actual use of online HIV information was studied through a campus and community collaborative partnership in the surrounding impoverished African American Community with the highest rates of HIV infection in Austin, Texas. Change scores from pre-post tests administered to those receiving online HIV information (intervention group) from eHealth Consumer Advocates were compared with those who did not (comparison group).  | |
| Debra and Julian Bond (Civil Rights Leader who ushered in the Civil Rights Movement with the great Dr. Martin Luther King. He has now taken on the cause of HIV/AIDS in the Black Community) taken after he appeared on a panel addressing AIDS in the Black Community |
Lessons learned: The scale measuring susceptibility; knowledge; benefits; skills; accessibility; intent to use; and actual use demonstrated adequate reliability of .87 (Cronbach’s Alpha). Over 90 percent indicated never having used online HIV information. Change score comparisons between the intervention and comparison groups demonstrated statistically significant greater gains at the .05 level in all areas for the intervention group versus the comparison group. Follow-up data are being collected to ascertain the extent to which use of online HIV information continued and its impact on behavior change.
Recommendations: Further research that better delineates exactly what variables are involved and how they are related in whether or not individuals from impoverished communities with high rates of infection continue to use online HIV/AIDS information and if and how this translates into behavior change is recommended.