Weighing in to the literacy debate: the role of ICTs for weight management

NHS Research Ethics Committee: 07/Q1907/54

Audrey Marshall

Net.Weight Project

The Net.Weight study• DH funded – two years• Investigating the potential for increased,

innovative and effective uses of ICTs in the self-management of weight

• The role that information and ICTS play in weight management

• The role that they might play after an intervention – participatory learning workshops

• Local focus – city of Brighton & Hove

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Net.Weight Project

Net.Weight team members

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Intersection of health policy agendas

Self-care

InformationInvolvement

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Net.Weight Project

Intersection of different literacies

Information

HealthDigital

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Net.Weight Project

Net.Weight study: 2007-2009

• Complex study• Inter-linking

research strands• User mapping

(survey)• Learning

workshops• Evaluation

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Net.Weight Project

The Net.Weight user survey

Questionnaire:• Your health• Managing your

weight• Information and

support for weight management

• Use of computers and the internet

• Demographics

Target group:• Over the healthy

weight for their height

• Taking steps to lose weight

• A resident of Brighton & Hove

• Aged 16 or over

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Survey distribution

• NHS– GP practices– Clinics

• Public libraries• Community venues• Commercial outlets– Pharmacies– Rosemary Conley fitness classes– Employers via Occupational Health staff

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Usefulness of Information Sources

Other

Newspapers

Leaflets

Health books

TV

Doctor

Leisure centre / community group

Food packaging

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Always useful

Sometimes useful

Never useful

Never tried

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Use of the internet to support weight management

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Other

Communicating with GP or other health professional

Communicating with others trying to manage their weight

Looking for information about support groups

Communicating with others who support you

Buying goods or services

Looking for information about medication

Looking for information about diets

Looking for information about exercise

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

OftenSometimesNever

Net.Weight Project

Information skills

I am able to put my questions into words

I know where to look for information

I know who I can ask for help to find information

I can judge good information from bad

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Very confidentFairly confidentNot very confidentNot at all confidentDon't know

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Skills in using the internet for weight management

F. I feel confident that I will find relevant local information on the Internet

E. I feel confident in using information from the Internet to make weight management decisions

D. I can tell high quality weight management resources from low quality weight management resources on the Internet

C. I have the skills I need to evaluate the weight management resources I find on the Internet

B. I know how to use the weight management information I find on the Internet to help me

A. I know how to use the Internet to answer my questions about managing my weight

Strongly agreeAgreeNo opinionDisagreeStrongly disagree

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Participatory Learning Workshops

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Net.Weight.Community

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Community website for the Net.Weight project

Welcome to the Net.Weight community

Net.Weight Project

Information guided tour

• National flagship site

• Local site

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Evaluation skills

• Evaluation tools• Common sense• Presentation• Factual nature• Authority• Commercial sites

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Interviews: information behaviour

Changes in information behaviour – Specific websites e.g. carbohydrate content– “the one area that I did sort of notice a change

was in researching recipes, and the way to do that” (Amanda)

– “Well I … go to the net, you know to BBC, and I’ve put in the Net. Weight things and I go through there and see what’s what” (Sandy)

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Interviews: evaluation skills

Changes in evaluation skills– Intuitive: “You look at it and think well this is a load of

rubbish”(Olivia)– “I’m more specific in what I attempt to find out. I’m more

focused when I’m doing weight loss things. I’ll be specific and find out what I originally set out to find out” (Virginia)

– “well they made me more wary, you know, before maybe I would have just read something and thought ‘oh that sounds good and just gone ahead’, but now I sort of think, you know, ‘well should I…you know, do I know enough about it’?” (Isabelle)

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Interviews: Interactions with healthcare professionals

• Negative interactions• Too busy• Resistant

“Yes, but she’s… she’s a lovely doctor but she doesn’t like you, you know, coming there with things that you’ve read about, you know, she doesn’t like that at all” (Isabelle)

• Some positive: ‘not just taking my word for it any more…which is good’

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Interviews: Trusted sites

• Presentation“I mean I love that website for the BBC… I don’t know, I

just think it’s so well laid out, and so easy” (Natasha)• Authority– The NHS, BBC, Local Authority“…if you’re going via the NHS, the BBC, the Net.Weight,

you’re not going to be misguided” (Alex)• Commercial sites

“I do avoid the ones that ask me for money up front before I do anything” (Sasha)

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Impact

“I went mad with the internet and the laptop for those first couple of workshops, trying to explore and extract all that information… it has sort of, it’s given me another dimension to my life really” (Alex)

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Impact

“If I hadn’t have done Net .Weight I would never, ever have gone anywhere near a computer, I know that … that’s the two good things, I’m losing weight and I’m on a computer, and I think at the beginning I was not losing weight and I was not using the computer, so come on, you’ve got to say that’s to the good” (Natasha)

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Implications of the findings

• Health information policy– people use a range of sources– People need specific information– The role of healthcare professionals– What makes people trust information– Importance of social support

• Contribution to information literacy theory

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