TY - JOUR
T1 - Disparities in attention to HIV-prevention information
AU - Earl, Allison
AU - Crause, Candi
AU - Vaid, Awais
AU - Albarracín, Dolores
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Dov Cohen, Sonya Dal Cin, Monica Fabiani, Jesse Preston, and the members of the Health, Attitudes, and Influence Lab (HAILab) at the University of Michigan for detailed comments on an earlier version of this article. Earlier versions of some of the analyses described here were presented as part of a doctoral dissertation by Allison Earl, conducted under the direction of D. Albarracín. This study was supported in part by research grants F31 MH086324 (Earl) and K02 MH075616 (Albarracín) from the National Institute of Mental Health, as well as funding from the Loan Repayment Program of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (Earl).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Taylor & Francis.
PY - 2016/1/2
Y1 - 2016/1/2
N2 - Compared to European-Americans, African-Americans have greater probability of becoming infected with HIV, as well as worse outcomes when they become infected. Therefore, adequate health communications should ensure that they capture the attention of African-Americans and do not perpetuate disadvantages relative to European-Americans. The objective of this report was to examine if racial disparities in attention to health information parallel racial disparities in health outcomes. Participants were clients of a public health clinic (Study 1 n = 64; Study 2 n = 55). Unobtrusive observation in a public health waiting room, message reading times, and response-time on a modified flanker task were used to examine attention to HIV- and flu-information across racial groups. In Study 1, participants were observed for the duration of their time in a public health clinic waiting room (average duration: 31 min). In Study 2, participants completed tasks in a private room at the public health clinic (average duration: 21 min). Across all attention measures, results suggest an interaction between race and information type on attention to health information. In particular, African-Americans differentially attended to information as a function of information type, with decreased attention to HIV- versus flu-information. In contrast, European-Americans attended equally to both HIV- and flu-information. As such, disparities in attention yielded less access to certain health information for African- than European-Americans in a health setting. The identified disparities in attention are particularly problematic because they disadvantage African-Americans at a time of great effort to correct racial disparities. Modifying the framing of health information in ways that ensure attention by all racial groups may be a strategy to increase attention, and thereby reduce disparities in health outcomes. Future research should find solutions that increase attentional access to health communications for all groups.
AB - Compared to European-Americans, African-Americans have greater probability of becoming infected with HIV, as well as worse outcomes when they become infected. Therefore, adequate health communications should ensure that they capture the attention of African-Americans and do not perpetuate disadvantages relative to European-Americans. The objective of this report was to examine if racial disparities in attention to health information parallel racial disparities in health outcomes. Participants were clients of a public health clinic (Study 1 n = 64; Study 2 n = 55). Unobtrusive observation in a public health waiting room, message reading times, and response-time on a modified flanker task were used to examine attention to HIV- and flu-information across racial groups. In Study 1, participants were observed for the duration of their time in a public health clinic waiting room (average duration: 31 min). In Study 2, participants completed tasks in a private room at the public health clinic (average duration: 21 min). Across all attention measures, results suggest an interaction between race and information type on attention to health information. In particular, African-Americans differentially attended to information as a function of information type, with decreased attention to HIV- versus flu-information. In contrast, European-Americans attended equally to both HIV- and flu-information. As such, disparities in attention yielded less access to certain health information for African- than European-Americans in a health setting. The identified disparities in attention are particularly problematic because they disadvantage African-Americans at a time of great effort to correct racial disparities. Modifying the framing of health information in ways that ensure attention by all racial groups may be a strategy to increase attention, and thereby reduce disparities in health outcomes. Future research should find solutions that increase attentional access to health communications for all groups.
KW - African-Americans
KW - HIV-prevention
KW - attention to health information
KW - health disparities
KW - perceived threat
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U2 - 10.1080/09540121.2015.1066747
DO - 10.1080/09540121.2015.1066747
M3 - Article
C2 - 26279308
AN - SCOPUS:84955172010
SN - 0954-0121
VL - 28
SP - 79
EP - 86
JO - AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
JF - AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
IS - 1
ER -