Vicious cycles: digital technologies and determinants of health in Australia
Open accessAbstract
Digital technologies are increasingly important as ways to gain access to most of the important social determinants of health including employment, housing, education and social networks. However, little is known about the impact of the new technologies on opportunities for health and well-being. This paper reports on a focus group study of the impact of these technologies on people from low socio-economic backgrounds. We use Bourdieu's theories of social inequities and the ways in which social, cultural and economic capitals interact to reinforce and reproduce inequities to examine the ways in which digital technologies are contributing to these processes. Six focus group discussions with 55 people were held to examine their access to and views about using digital technologies. These data are analysed in light of Bourdieu's theory to determine how people's existing capitals shape their access to and use of digital technologies and what the implications of exclusion from the technologies are likely to be for the social determinants of health. The paper concludes that some people are being caught in a vicious cycle whereby lack of digital access or the inability to make beneficial use reinforces and amplifies existing disadvantage including low levels of reading and writing literacy. The paper concludes with a consideration of actions health promoters could take to interrupt this cycle and so contribute to reducing health inequities.
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Some studies (5/41, 12%) suggested that relevant technical tools and volunteers can be provided to develop patients' confidence and skills in digital technology access and improve their eHealth literacy.
“Some studies (5/41, 12%) suggested that relevant technical tools and volunteers can be provided [1,38] to develop patients’ confidence and skills in digital technology access and improve their eHealth literacy [18,38,50,58].”
From Inequities in Health Care Services Caused by the Adoption of Digital Health Technologies: Scoping Review (2022) · cites this paper as [50]
The barriers to technological access provide insight as to possible explanations for the exclusion of older adults from the research, design, and development process of digital technologies.
“The barriers to technological access outlined above provide insight as to possible explanations for the exclusion of older adults from the research, design, and development process of digital technologies (Baum et al., 2014; Kanstrup & Bygholm, 2019; Lagacé et al., 2015).”
From Digital ageism: challenges and opportunities in artificial intelligence for older adults (2022) · cites this paper as Baum et al., 2014
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- Authors
- Baum, F., Newman, L., & Biedrzycki, K.
- Affiliations
- Flinders University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Baum, F.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Health Promotion International
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2012-11-09
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 349-360
- ISSN
- 0957-4824 (ISSN-L)
- 1460-2245
- OpenAlex
- W2137553943
- Cited by
- 108
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 4
- FWCI
- 4.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Health Promotion International (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Flinders Academic Commons (Flinders University) (publishedVersion)
- Flinders Academic Commons (Flinders University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Public Health and Social Inequalities
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
- Keywords
- digital technologies, social determinants of health, health disparities, low socioeconomic status, digital divide, Pierre Bourdieu, cultural capital, social capital, economic capital, literacy, digital exclusion, health promotion, Australia
- MeSH terms
- Australia, Computers, Female, Health Services Accessibility, Humans, Information Systems, Male, Socioeconomic Factors, Focus Groups, Racial Groups, Health Literacy, Social Determinants of Health
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