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Objective: Our first aim was to assess the contributions of health-related risks, barriers to healthcare, and user characteristics to new mothers' interest in two Web-based health programs: postpartum weight loss or parenting advice. Our second aim was to determine if the preceding proximal variables diminished associations of income level with interest in Web-based health programs., Subjects and Methods: A mail survey of a stratified random sample was conducted with a resulting analytic sample that included 121 white/Anglo, African American, or Hispanic women of higher and lower income. Weight risk (being overweight or obese) and psychosocial/behavioral risk (alcohol use, depression, smoking) were the predictors of interest in a weight loss program and parenting advice, respectively. Financial, structural, and function factors served as barriers to care. Frequency of Internet use assessed user characteristics. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate predictors., Results: Being overweight (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 5.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.18, 14.11) was the only variable to affect likelihood of interest in an Internet-based weight loss program; income level was not a significant predictor. Having two or more psychosocial/behavioral risks (adjusted OR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.50, 0.92) was the only predictor of interest in Internet-based parenting advice; income level was not a significant predictor after adjusting for other variables (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.19, 1.55)., Conclusions: The type of risk and program topic decreased or increased likelihood of interest in Internet-based programming. Weight risks increased interest in weight loss programming, but psychosocial/behavioral risks deceased interest in parenting advice.

Objective: To describe postpartum women's access, perceived skill, confidence, and use of Internet and mobile technologies; their views about receiving health information about postpartum weight and parenting; and whether these factors varied by race/ethnicity or income level., Design: Health survey of a stratified random sample., Setting: County in central Texas., Participants: One hundred forty-five (145) White/Anglo, African American, or Hispanic women of higher and lower income., Results: Overall, 122 (84.1%) of respondents had access to a computer with an Internet connection at home and made daily use of the following: the Internet 77.6%, e-mail 75.4%, cell phone 97.1%, and text messaging 66.7%. Significant racial/ethnic and income differences occurred in home Internet access, frequency of Internet and e-mail use, and perceived confidence or skill favoring White/Anglo women over ethnic minority women, and those of higher over lower income. Overall, 35.9% of women expressed "a lot" of interest in an Internet-based weight loss program, 38.9% in a weight loss program sent by mail, 44.8% in an Internet-based parenting advice, and 38.6% in parenting advice sent by mail. Women of higher and lower income differed significantly in their interest in three of the four types of health-promotion information and methods of delivery., Conclusion: Generally, women with lower income were more likely to express high interest in receiving health information related to parenting by mail than those of higher incomes, whereas women of higher incomes were more likely to express high interest in receiving weight loss and parenting information through the Internet., (© 2012 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obsteric and Neonatal Nurses.)

Purpose/objectives: To explore gender and ethnic differences in needs for help among patients with cancer., Research Approach: Qualitative., Setting: Internet and community settings., Participants: 16 self-identified patients with cancer aged at least 18 years who could read and write English., Methodologic Approach: Using six discussion topics on needs for help, an online forum was administered for one month. Data were analyzed with thematic analysis., Main Research Variables: Need for help., Findings: Four major themes emerged: (a) from side effects to racism, (b) same or double stress, (c) cultural hesitance and God, and (d) a family disease with mistrust. Depending on gender and ethnicity, the participants' concerns were various and ranged from a simple physical need to a social need for elimination of racism in United States society. Women tended to report double burden and stress as patients with cancer resulting from their gender. Ethnic minorities tended to be hesitant to talk about cancer or seek help because of the stigmatized nature of cancer. Ethnic minority patients perceived cancer as a family disease that they needed to go through as a family, and they tended to mistrust healthcare providers., Conclusions: The overriding theme was a marginalized experience for ethnic minority patients with cancer., Interpretation: Researchers should include cultural needs as a separate category of needs and consider contextual factors influencing the needs of patients with cancer in their daily lives.