DONALD C. SIMONSON, LINDA G. MARC, MARCIA A. TESTA, Boston, MA

Diabetes Education Presented on Monday, June 8, 2015 12:00 PM

Author(s):  DONALDC. SIMONSON, LINDA G. MARC, MARCIA A. TESTA, Boston, MA

Internet applications are increasingly used to access and disseminate health information; however, there are limited data on their use in persons with diabetes. To evaluate health education internet use, we analyzed a cross-sectional, probability-based telephone survey of 3,014 U.S. residents (Pew Research Center, 2012) using survey-weighted descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Overall, 78% (up 5% since 2010) of U.S. residents reported using the internet, of which 73% looked for health information online during the past year. Logistic regression indicated males were less likely than females to use the internet, [OR (95% CLs): 0.60 (0.43, 0.85)]. Likelihood of internet use increased with annual income [OR increase=0.15 (0.12, 0.18) per $1,000 increase up to $85,000] and education [OR: 11.2 (4.7, 26.5) for some college vs. ≤ HS], and decreased for each successive decade of age [OR: 0.49 (0.43, 0.54)]. Race (White, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Other) and diabetes diagnosis were not significant after controlling for age, gender, income and education. 374 (12.7%) of the survey respondents reported having diabetes. The diabetes subsample reported: mean ± SE age of 59.9±1.1 yrs; race as White 70%, Black 17%; full/part-time employed 30%, unemployed 15%, retired 41%; married 50%, divorced 13%, widowed 12%. Diabetes comorbidities were hypertension 66%, heart disease 28%, pulmonary disease 25% and other conditions 39%. Of diabetes respondents: 47% used email; 29% used a mobile device (cell-phone, tablet or other handheld); and 53% used the internet for information on a specific disease (60%), treatment or procedure (50%), how to lose weight (28%), a specific drug they saw advertised (23%), to learn about test results (22%), and to post experiences about a drug or treatment (7%). Increasingly, persons with diabetes are using the internet to manage their condition, but determinants of usage and access, such as age, gender, education and income, need to be considered when designing web-based programs and applications

Disclosure:  D.C. Simonson: None. L.G. Marc: None. M.A. Testa: None.

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