Exploring the Potential of Web 2.0 to Address Health Disparities

This article addresses use of the Internet and Web 2.0 technologies by racial and ethnic minorities and explores the potential opportunities and challenges in leveraging Web 2.0 approaches to impact health disparities.These opportunities and challenges include developing approaches and methods to (a) identify strategies for integrating social media into health promotion interventions focused on major health-related issues that affect members of medically underserved groups; (b) amalgamate techniques to leverage and connect social-media technologies to other evidence-informed online resources; (c) integrate health communication best practices, including addressing health literacy issues; (d) capitalize on social networking to enhance access and communication with health care providers; and (e) advance current efforts and ongoing expansion of research participation by individuals from underserved communities.According to the 2010 National Healthcare Disparities Report, disparities related to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status remain pervasive in the American health care system.The report highlighted the fact that health care quality and access are suboptimal, especially for minority and low-income groups, regardless of state or region of the country where one resides.Health disparities across many conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, mental health and substance abuse, and The Eisenberg Conference Series 2010 Meeting on The Prospects for Web 2.0 Technologies for Engagement, Communication and Dissemination in the Era of Patient-Centered Outcome Research was conducted by the John M.