1. Is the Digital Divide Affecting Your Health? An electronic poster session by Dawn Orosco

2. The digital divide contributes to differences in health status: The connection between computer access and improved health status:

3. Race plays a role in home computer access. Race: % of population with Computers at home: % of population with internet access at home: WHITE (Non-Hispanic) 62 32 ASIAN 58 23 AFRICAN AMERICAN 37 14 HISPANIC 29 14 OTHER 36 28

4. Socio-economic status and education play a role in home computer and internet access. 50% of those with a post-graduate degree report having internet access. 4% of those with no high school diploma have internet access. 47% of California families with an income greater than $75,000 have internet access. 6% of families earning less than $15,000 have have internet access.

5. People who use computers benefit financially and in health. Workers who use a computer at home, work or school report significantly higher incomes than those who don’t. Workers who use a computer report better health status and lower levels of depression than those who don’t. Computer users are more likely to have health insurance than non-computer users.

6. Computer literacy impacts job opportunities. Fact: The US Bureau of Labor estimates that by 2008 nearly half of all US workers will be employed in industries that produce or intensively use information technology, products or services.

7. People who use information technology at work generally have higher incomes than those who do not. Fact: High tech industry jobs pays almost 80% more than the average private sector wage.

8. The internet is a resource for health information.

9. Policies and programs that bridge the digital divide can positively impact the future work and income of individuals as well as improve their health status. Return to home