Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-2023
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Abstract
Objectives
We developed and evaluated new media-related health information acquisition measures for U.S.-based Latino populations.
Methods
In 2021, a sample of U.S.-based Latino adults (N = 1574) self-completed a 20-min survey of health information acquisition measures across three language/cultural dimensions: Spanish media, Latino-tailored media in English, and general media in English. Socio-demographics were also ascertained. Means and standard deviations for the health acquisition measures were adjusted for age and sex and reported across nativity status.
Results
The sample was diverse across age, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, migration, and language competency. Internal consistency reliability of developed scales was excellent overall and within age, gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic subgroups (Cronbach's alphas = 0.86–0.94). English media scales had higher means overall indicating higher prolonged quantity (i.e., dosage) than Spanish media scales. In contrast, standard deviations for Spanish media scales were higher overall indicating broader reach at lower doses than English media scales.
Conclusions
Findings suggest English-language media is popular among Latino populations overall. However, Spanish-language media retains broad reach through both passive and active exposure. Our findings demonstrate the value of including more nuanced measurement of health information acquisition such as the scales developed in this study to improve health promotion among Latino populations.
Recommended Citation
DuPont-Reyes, M. J., Villatoro, A., Gama, G., & Tang, L. (2023). Measuring media-related health and mental health information acquisition among Latino adults in the United States. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 32(4), e1967. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1967
Comments
© 2023 The Authors. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.