An Evaluation of the Health Applications (and Implications) of Digital Interactive Television: Case Study of the Livinghealth Channel

Abstract

A large-scale and pioneering evaluation of the use of digital interactive television for the provision of health information and advice has been carried out. As part of a Department of Health (DoH) funded pilot, researchers at City University are evaluating the attempts of four media consortia to deliver health information and advice to the general public. Reported here are the initial results of one of the first pilots to complete, Flextech's LivingHealth Channel, distributed by the cable company Telewest to 38,000 of its Birmingham subscribers. Data on subscribers' use or non-use, ease of use, service satisfaction and health outcomes were analysed using a combination of log analysis and questionnaire survey methods. Over 1100 people were questioned and logs were monitored for a period of four months.

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References

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