General Characteristics of Internet Use Among Health Educators

Abstract

The Internet plays an important role in health education today. This study attempts to fill a void in the literature regarding Internet use, including motivators and barriers for health educators. Using a modified version of the Total Design Method, a survey concerning Internet use was mailed to a stratified random sample of 1559 health educators in the United States. Seven-hundred thirty-eight surveys were usable for a 55% response rate. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables, and exploratory factor analyses were performed on three domains of questions from the survey. Adequate access, relative advantage and problems with Web sites are factors that influence Internet use among health educators. The majority of respondents had access to the Internet at home and work, and over two-thirds used e-mail daily. Implications for the health education profession are provided.

Key Words:

• Internet
• health education
• barriers
• access
• training