Rural women with chronic illness: computer use and skill acquisition

Chronically ill rural women must manage complex illness without easy access to health care resources including support and health information. The Women to Women project is a technology-based program with an overarching aim to assist rural women in the day-to-day management of their illnesses. An important aspect of the Women to Women program is teaching the women how to use the Internet to meet their support and informational needs. The purposes of this article are to examine changes in 1) the level of computer skills, 2) degree of comfort in using the computer, and 3) knowledge of Internet functions for the participants in the Women to Women computer-based intervention. Results of the initial analysis of data from 63 women (intervention group n = 29, control group n = 34) indicate that women participating in the intervention reported greater computer skills and computer comfort and greater knowledge of specific aspects of Internet use than women in the control group. These findings were further strengthened considering that intervention and control group differentials were sustained 8 months after the end of the women's participation in the computer intervention. With the attainment of computer and Internet skills, it is expected that these rural women will have a sustained ability to access quality Internet information that will allow them to better manage and adapt to their chronic illnesses.