Internet Access, Social Risk Factors, and Web-Based Social Support Seeking Behavior: Assessing Correlates of the "Digital Divide" Across Neighborhoods in The State of Maryland.

ABSTRACT: We aimed to empirically measure the degree to which there is a "digital divide" in terms of access to the internet at the small-area community level within the State of Maryland and the City of Baltimore and to assess the relationship and association of this divide with community-level SDOH risk factors, community-based social service agency location, and web-mediated support service seeking behavior. To assess the socio-economic characteristics of the neighborhoods across the state, we calculated the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) using the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (5-year estimates) of 2017. To assess the digital divide, at the community level, we used the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) data on the number of residential fixed Internet access service connections. We a

SUBMITTER: Hatef E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8449832 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature