Unequal health outcomes across population groups as defined by, for example, socio-economic status, gender, minority status, or sexual orientation are a major public health concern. Health interventions may unintentionally add to these health inequalities through differences in access, usage, and effectiveness (intervention-generated inequalities). Since access and usage of digital tools are known to be socially patterned, digital public health interventions are at a high risk of generating inequality effects (“the digital divide”). In this chapter, we collate evidence on digital divides and their implications for health inequalities and discuss potential solutions for minimizing the risk of intervention-generated inequalities. We argue that the involvement of diverse population groups in the development process of digital public health interventions is a central element for achieving equitable outcomes.

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Digital Health Inequality

  • T. Brand,
  • P. S. Herrera-Espejel,
  • H. Busse

摘要

Unequal health outcomes across population groups as defined by, for example, socio-economic status, gender, minority status, or sexual orientation are a major public health concern. Health interventions may unintentionally add to these health inequalities through differences in access, usage, and effectiveness (intervention-generated inequalities). Since access and usage of digital tools are known to be socially patterned, digital public health interventions are at a high risk of generating inequality effects (“the digital divide”). In this chapter, we collate evidence on digital divides and their implications for health inequalities and discuss potential solutions for minimizing the risk of intervention-generated inequalities. We argue that the involvement of diverse population groups in the development process of digital public health interventions is a central element for achieving equitable outcomes.