Health Information Seeking Using Tech and Non-Tech Sources Among a Diverse Sample of Caregivers in the Deep South

ABSTRACT

Caregivers of people living with dementia (PLWD) are often tasked with making decisions about their loved one’s daily care and healthcare treatment, causing stress and decision-making fatigue. Many caregivers engage in health information seeking to improve their health literacy for optimal decision-making, though there is limited knowledge about the strategies used to increase their health literacy. This study involved a survey of caregivers in Alabama, most of whom were African American and/or living in rural communities that have historically underserved. The findings shed light on caregivers’ experiences in seeking out health-related information and their perceptions of various sources of information.

KEYWORDS:

• Caregivers
• dementia
• health literacy
• technology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant [#1951974].