Journal
FAMILY & COMMUNITY HEALTH
Volume 44, Issue 4, Pages 257-265Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000306
Keywords
access; education; rural; telehealth; youth
Funding
- Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH) at Washington State University
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health [K23MD013899]
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This study examined access and barriers to technology and broadband Internet service among rural and urban youth, revealing significant disparities in access to Internet-enabled devices and reliable broadband between rural and urban areas. Efforts to improve policies and advance technology are essential to address the critical barrier of inadequate broadband infrastructure for health and education equity in rural areas.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in using telehealth to increase access to health and mental health care has grown, and school transitions to remote learning have heightened awareness of broadband inequities. The purpose of this study was to examine access and barriers to technology and broadband Internet service (broadband) among rural and urban youth. Washington State public school districts were surveyed about youth's access to technology (ie, a device adequate for online learning) and broadband availability in spring 2020. Availability of and barriers to broadband (ie, geography, affordability, and smartphone-only connectivity) were assessed across rurality. Among responding districts, 64.2% (n = 172) were rural and 35.8% (n = 96) were urban. Rural districts reported significantly fewer students with access to an Internet-enabled device adequate for online learning (80.0% vs 90.1%, P < .01). Access to reliable broadband varied significantly across geography (P < .01). Compared with their urban peers, rural youth face more challenges in accessing the technology and connectivity needed for remote learning and telehealth. Given that inadequate broadband infrastructure is a critical barrier to the provision of telehealth services and remote learning in rural areas, efforts to improve policies and advance technology must consider geographical disparities to ensure health and education equity.
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