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Internet Use for Health-Care Information by Subjects With COPD

Authors :
Oliver A. Nascimento
Cionéia K Delgado
Ilka Lopes Santoro
José Roberto Jardim
Mariana Rodrigues Gazzotti
Andrea K. Carvalho
Source :
Respiratory Care. 60:1276-1281
Publication Year :
2015
Publisher :
Daedalus Enterprises, 2015.

Abstract

Although the internet is an important tool for entertainment, work, learning, shopping, and communication, it is also a possible source for information on health and disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the proportion of subjects with COPD in São Paulo, Brazil, who use the internet to obtain information about their disease.Subjects (N = 382) with COPD answered a 17-question survey, including information regarding computer use, internet access, and searching for sites on COPD. Our sample was distributed according to the socioeconomic levels of the Brazilian population (low, 17.8%; medium, 66.5%; and high, 15.7%).Most of the subjects in the sample were male (62.6%), with a mean age of 67.0 ± 9.9 y. According to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stages, 74.3% of the subjects were in stage II or III. In addition, 51.6% of the subjects had a computer, 49.7% accessed the internet, and 13.9% used it to search for information about COPD. The internet was predominantly accessed by male (70.3%) and younger (64.6 ± 9.5 y of age) subjects compared with female (29.7%, P = .04) and older (67.5 ± 9.6 y of age, P.007) subjects. Searching for information about COPD on the internet was associated with having a computer (5.9-fold), Medical Research Council dyspnea level 1 (5.3-fold), and high social class (8.4-fold). The search for information on COPD was not influenced by GOLD staging.A low percentage of subjects with COPD in São Paulo use the internet as a tool to obtain information about their disease. This search is associated with having a computer, low dyspnea score, and high socioeconomic level.

Details

ISSN :
19433654 and 00201324
Volume :
60
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Respiratory Care
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....2c8da338a5f9f4b28b12143460cedc47
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.4187/respcare.03716