Health Literacy and Online Health Discussions of North American Black Women

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Women increasingly use the Internet for healthcare information. This pilot study examined the use of online chat rooms as a potential health promotion resource for women of color.

Design: A directed qualitative content analysis assessed discussions (2002/2003 and 2004/2005) from two Internet chat rooms targeted to North American, English-speaking Black women.

Methods: Verbatim transcripts were assessed using Nutbeam's (2001) model of health literacy.

Results: Chat 1 and Chat 2 had 18 and 54 messages, respectively. Transcript readability was below grade 8 level. Discussions provided information on healthy behaviors, social support, and provocation for political action.

Conclusions: The chat rooms provided health promotion information and social support at recommended readability levels and are illustrative of contemporary reorientation of health promotion services.

KEYWORDS:

• Health literacy
• Internet
• computer mediated interaction
• health promotion
• African-American
• Black-Canadian