Yin-leng Theng*, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore Shalini Chandra, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore Lynette Ying Qin Goh, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore May O. Lwin, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore Schubert Foo Shou-boon, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore Ajanta Sen, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Mumbai, India Ravi Poovaiah, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Mumbai, India Track: Research Presentation Topic: Communities in health care Presentation Type: Poster presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Last modified: 2012-09-10

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Title:
Investigating Trusted Sources and Social Media for Patient Care in Infectious Disease Prevention and Control: A Survey of India’s Middle-of-Pyramid Population Segmentation

Background:
India may have seen progress in eliminating Tuberculosis (TB), however the country is still contributing a few million active cases every year. Barriers to the complete elimination of the disease include treatment defaults by patients and the lack of reliable information which then perpetuates false myths and stigma about TB. With the advent of the Internet in the 1990s and the mobile technology later, a number of new media are used by people for healthcare information and intervention. Particularly, the Internet and social-media are gaining prominence for the care, self-diagnosis and monitoring of several infectious and non-infectious diseases. It is pertinent to explore the trustworthiness of these sources for infectious diseases like TB, and investigate whether users still prefer to use old trusted sources for communication like face-to-face interactions or are willing to adapt to new social-media technologies for health-related information and intervention.

Objectives:
The key research question is:
Which information sources (traditional information sources vs. new social-media) are perceived as trustworthy by the Indians to gather health information on infectious diseases like TB currently and in future?

Method:
A paper-based survey was conducted to find out people’s perception about media trust levels, the sources trusted and preferred in obtaining information about TB and its symptoms, vaccinations, treatment and diagnosis. Two groups within the Middle-of-the-pyramid (MOP), the upper MOP (individuals earning more than Rs7000/month) and lower MOP (individuals earning less than Rs7000/month) were compared. These groups of people represent a big proportion of the Indian population who are familiar with traditional methods of communication and also new media like the Internet and mobile phones.

Results:
A total of 238 participants took part in the survey with 48 males and 59 females (age: M = 32.39, SD = 10.75) in the lower MOP, and 80 males and 51 females (age: M = 39.57, SD = 11.73) in the upper MOP. Our survey findings showed significant differences between the upper and lower MOP on perceptions of sources trusted and preferred. Survey findings suggest that in spite of the proliferation of new media for communication and information, both lower and upper MOP people trust and rely on information attained through face-to-face interactions rather than newer technologies like mobile and Internet. Both groups presumed higher trust in new media for the future, but the upper MOP was more willing to trust new media compared to the lower MOP.

Conclusions:
The results demonstrate the significance of traditional sources like face-to-face interactions over new social-media technologies for health information on infectious diseases like TB currently. Lack of access to new social-media technologies could be a factor preventing people from using them in developing countries like India. These results can be used by government and health authorities in India and other developing countries to plan their TB awareness programmes for control and treatment of this deadly disease.