E-Health: Modern Communication Technology Platforms for Accessing Health Information

Abstract

This chapter will identify how Australian university students access and use various forms of technology (Web 1.0 – Internet, Web 2.0 – social media - SM) to retrieve personal health information. This chapter will move beyond Web 1.0, to present a theoretical basis of claim, concerning the extent to which other forms of technology (e.g. Web 2.0 and wireless monitoring devices) have impacted on youth. What is more, attention will be directed towards outlining to what degree this has shaped their patterns of health information retrieval. Importantly, this chapter aligns with contemporary literature that suggests a need for further studies into the area of human - technology interactions, which promotes sustainable action plans and strategies that will create and encourage reform throughout e-health programs and interactive communication platforms. Given that Australian university students are prolific users of modern forms of communication technology and that youth, in general, characteristically undertake relatively high levels of risky health behaviours and unhealthy lifestyle choices, such a chapter would seem warranted.