Young Black and White adults prefer in-person to telehealth for primary care visits and group health promotion programs

• Published in: Translational behavioral medicine 2024-11, Vol.14 (12), p.738-743
• Main Authors: Gavrilova, Lyubov, Watson, Mellisa C, Eshera, Yasmine M, Ridgel, Angela L, Hughes, Joel W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Behavioral health care; Blacks; Care and treatment; Consumer preferences; Coronavirus infections; Coronaviruses; Methods; Physical fitness; Primary health care; Psychological aspects; Surveys; Telemedicine; Whites; Young adults
• ISSN: 1869-6716; 1613-9860
• DOI: 10.1093/tbm/ibae064

Abstract Telehealth utilization has increased since the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, reducing barriers to healthcare and, potentially, reducing participation in group health-promotion interventions. However, preferences for telehealth versus in-person formats have not been established. To examine preferences for telehealth and in-person format for primary care and group health-promotion interventions among Black and White women and men aged 20–39. We hypothesized that respondents would report a higher preference for telehealth than in-person appointments. This cross-sectional survey study recruited participants to answer questions about access to technology and preferences for telehealth and in-person formats of primary care and group health promotion. Respondents (n = 404) included similar proportions of White women (24.3%, 26.4 ± 4.3 years), Black women (25.0%, 29.0 ± 6.1 years), White men (25.9%, 32.8 ± 4.5 years), and Black men (24.8%, 30.6 ± 5.2 years). About 98.5% reported having a smartphone, and 80.4% had access to a computer with a camera. Preference ratings were higher for in-person visits, compared to telehealth visits, for both primary care (M = 3.86 ± 1.13 vs. M = 2.87 ± 1.18) and group health promotion (M = 3.72 ± 1.12 vs. M = 3.04 ± 1.20) F’s(1,400) > 59.0, P’s