Toward a Multilevel E-Health Engagement Model: Analyzing Trend for Immigrants’ E-Health Engagement From 2008 to 2013

• In Event: Health Communication and Vulnerable Populations

Abstract

Our study proposes a Multilevel E-health Engagement Model (MEEM), an overarching theoretical framework guiding our trend analysis of immigrants’ e-health engagement over time. MEEM emphasizes consumers’ engagement with e-health tools on multiple levels (i.e., individual-, interpersonal-, and community-levels) and the influence of salient contextual characteristics (i.e., cultural context) on immigrant subgroups’ e-health engagement over time. Using three iterations of Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) conducted between 2008 and 2013, our results showed that U.S. immigrants engaged with individual-level and interpersonal-level e-health tools, mainly for the purpose of health information seeking and tracking and doctor-patient communication. Furthermore, by using two cultural proxy variables (race/ethnicity and length of residence), our results demonstrated the distinctive e-health engagement patterns for different immigrant subgroups.

Authors

• Xinyan Zhao, Hong Kong Baptist University

• Bo Yang, Georgia State University

• Chau-Wai Wong, U of Maryland, College Park