Health and the Internet:
Autonomy of the user
From Connected to Networked Citizens
Dr. Francisco Lupiáñez-Villanueva Dr. Rita Espanha
www.ictconsequences.net Professor of ISLA - Lisbon
ICTs Interdisciplinary Research Group (i2TIC) Researcher at CIES-ISCTE
Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) (Portugal)
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
10th Annual World Internet Project Meeting 2009
Macao, July 8-10

Research projects
Health and the Internet in the Network Society
Portugal Catalonia
Health in the Information Era Internet, Health and Society: Analysis of
in Portugal Internet Use in Catalonia Health System
Directed by Directed by Prof. Castells
Dr. Cardoso and Dra. Espanha Researcher: Dr. Lupiáñez-Villanueva

Common Research Objectives
• Identify, characterise and explain the determinants of
the ICT and the Internet use carried out by citizens and
health professionals within the health system.
• Analyze in what way and to what extend ICTs, specially
the Internet, are appropriated by citizens and health
professionals within the health system.

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/957924/Main_references

Citizens, Health and the Internet - Highlights
Health and the Consequences Shape and Shape and
Internet on being shaped being shaped
by ICT by autonomy
• More health • Personal • Access • Standards
information Health • Uses • Values
available Management • Asses • Efforts
(quality and • Patient – • Empowerment
use) Health
• Participation
• More Professional
communication relationship
tools available • Citizens
• Online health /Patients
services relationship
• Healthcare E-readiness
demands (DIGITAL)
• Health status
AGE – EDUCATION – LABOUR – GENDER (ANALOGUE)

Citizens
Citizens, Health and the Internet - Highlights
• Intensive use of health information
• Determinants of e-readiness index: Age, Education,
Labour and Gender
• Connected are more likely to be in better health
conditions and more likely to use private healthcare
services
• Disconnected are more likely to be worse health and
use public healthcare services
• Determinants of health: Age, Education and Labour

“The availability of good medical care
tends to vary inversely with the need of
the population served”
Hart JT. The inverse care law. Lancet 1971; 1: 405–12.

DOES IT STILL WORK IN THE
TRANSITION TO THE NETWORK
SOCIETY?

OR COULD IT BE LEAPFROGGED?

World Internet Project Data Base 2007

World Internet Project Data Base 2007
• Identify and characterise the Internet users who look for
online health information into the E-readiness index to
Network Society.
• Non-hierarchical K-means cluster analysis was carried out to
develop a typology of the Internet users:
• To simplify data
• To be able to draw a set of levels where we could
accommodate citizens according to their readiness to the
Network Society

From
Basic Connected Citizen
Advanced Connected and
Social oriented Citizen
Advanced Connected and
Individual oriented Citizen
To
Networked Citizen
Source:
WIP 2007
Categories
1- Several times a day
2- Daily
3- Weekly
4- Monthly
5- Less than monthly
6- Never

Basic Connected Citizen
they are at the button of the
Internet uses.
Advanced Connected and
Social oriented Citizen
they use the Internet to do a lot
of activities, especially those
related with social and leisure
activities.
Advanced Connected and
Individual oriented Citizen
they also use the Internet to do a
lot of activities, especially those
related with individual and
personal aspects
Networked Citizen
they are leading almost all the
Source: WIP 2007 Internet uses

Source: WIP 2007

Source: WIP 2007

Characterization E-readiness Index
Source: WIP 2007

Characterization E-readiness Index
Source: WIP 2007; p<0’001

Characterization E-readiness Index
Source: WIP 2007; p<0’001

Characterization Health information
Source: WIP 2007; p<0’001

Characterization Looking for Health information on the
Internet
Source: WIP 2007; p<0’001

Citizens
Citizens, Health and the Internet - Global
• Determinants of health: Age, Education and Labour
• Age Characterization of e-readiness index suggests…
• Networked Citizens are more likely to be in better
health conditions due to their age.
• Connected Citizens are more likely to be in worse
health conditions.
• Disconnected Citizens…

The inverse care law still works in
the Network Society

NETWORK SOCIETY TRANSITION MODEL
Peña-López, I. (2009) “Measuring digital development for policy-making: Models, stages, characteristics and
causes. The role of the government” In ICTlogy, #68, May 2009. Barcelona: ICTlogy.
Retrieved month dd, yyyy from http://ictlogy.net/review/?p=2176

Thank you very much for your
attention
Presentation available at:
www.ictconsequences.net
flupianez@uoc.edu

Health and the Internet:
Autonomy of the user
From Connected to Networked Citizens
Dr. Francisco Lupiáñez-Villanueva Dr. Rita Espanha
www.ictconsequences.net Professor of ISLA - Lisbon
ICTs Interdisciplinary Research Group (i2TIC) Researcher at CIES-ISCTE
Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) (Portugal)
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
10th Annual World Internet Project Meeting 2009
Macao, July 8-10