Adult Willingness to Use Email and Social Media for Peer-to-Peer Cancer Screening Communication: Quantitative Interview Study
Authors
Cutrona, Sarah L.Roblin, Douglas W.
Wagner, Joann L.
Gaglio, Bridget
Williams, Andrew E.
Torres Stone, Rosalie A.
Field, Terry S.
Mazor, Kathleen M.
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2013-11-28Keywords
UMCCTS fundingBehavior and Behavior Mechanisms
Communication Technology and New Media
Health Communication
Health Information Technology
Health Services Administration
Health Services Research
Neoplasms
Social Media
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
BACKGROUND: Adults over age 40 are increasing their use of email and social media, raising interest in use of peer-to-peer Internet-based messaging to promote cancer screening. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to assess current practices and attitudes toward use of email and other e-communication for peer-to-peer dialogues on cancer screening. METHODS: We conducted in-person interviews with 438 insured adults ages 42-73 in Georgia, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. Participants reported on use of email and other e-communication including social media to discuss with peers routine health topics including breast and colorectal cancer (CRC). We ascertained willingness to share personal CRC screening experiences via conversation, postcard, email, or other e-communication. Health literacy scores were measured. RESULTS: Email had been used by one-third (33.8%, 148/438) to discuss routine health topics, by 14.6% (64/438) to discuss breast cancer screening, and by 12.6% (55/438) to discuss CRC screening. Other e-communication was used to discuss routine health topics (11.6%, 51/438), screening for breast cancer (3.9%, 17/438), and CRC (2.3%, 10/438). In the preceding week, 84.5% (370/438) of participants had used email, 55.9% (245/438) had used e-communication of some type; 44.3% (194/438) text, 32.9% (144/438) Facebook, 12.3% (54/438) instant message, 7.1% (31/438) video chat, and 4.8% (21/438) Twitter. Many participants were willing to share their CRC screening experiences via email (32.4%, 142/438 might be willing; 36.3%, 159/438 very willing) and via other e-communication (15.8%, 69/438 might be willing; 14.4%, 63/438 very willing). Individuals willing to send CRC screening emails scored significantly higher on tests of health literacy compared to those willing to send only postcards (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Many adults are willing to use email and e-communication to promote cancer screening to peers. Optimal approaches for encouraging peer-to-peer transmission of accurate and appropriate cancer screening messages must be studied.Source
Cutrona SL, Roblin DW, Wagner JL, Gaglio B, Williams AE, Torres Stone R, Field TS, Mazor KM. Adult Willingness to Use Email and Social Media for Peer-to-Peer Cancer Screening Communication: Quantitative Interview Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2013 Nov 28;2(2):e52. doi: 10.2196/resprot.2886. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.2196/resprot.2886Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/30119PubMed ID
24287495Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedRights
Copyright Sarah L Cutrona, Douglas W Roblin, Joann L Wagner, Bridget Gaglio, Andrew E Williams, Rosalie Torres Stone, Terry S Field, Kathleen M Mazor. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 24.11.2013. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Research Protocols, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on http://www.researchprotocols.org, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.2196/resprot.2886