SIG-HLTH Awards

SIG-HLTH Best Health-Related ASIS&T 2024 Annual Meeting Paper Awards

Title: Standardizing Vehicle Travel Speed Data for Road Safety

Authors: Liliana Salas, College of Information Science and Arlie Adkins, College of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture and the College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

Abstract: In 2022, almost 50,000 people died in road crashes in the United States, with speeding implicated in 29% of these fatalities. Despite known links between vehicle speed and crash occurrence and severity, there are no federal guidelines for collecting vehicle travel speed (VTS) data. Cities with open VTS data are using unstandardized datasets, which complicates large-scale and cross-jurisdictional analysis. We conducted a qualitative assessment of open data repositories for the 25 largest U.S. cities, using a framework of knowledge representation, evaluated twelve metadata components, and determined the potential usability of these datasets. Our knowledge representation framework includes five data elements: speed metric, timestamp, geospatial representation, posted speed and vehicle type. Findings show that one-quarter of these cities have open VTS datasets. Of those cities, none has a VTS dataset containing all the elements defined in our framework. This suggests the need to design information policy standards for the collection and sharing of open VTS data.

Title: Exploring Young Adults' Mental Health Help-Seeking Journey: Preliminary Findings on Resource Navigation Behavior

Authors: Jiaying (Lizzy) Liu & Yan Zhang, School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin 

Abstract: Young adults are among the most vulnerable populations susceptible to mental health concerns, yet they encounter various barriers in accessing resources and obtaining necessary support and treatment. While prior research has predominantly focused on technology utilization in mental health help-seeking, a more comprehensive understanding of how individuals navigate the broader landscape of available resources is crucial. To address this gap, we conducted in-depth interviews with 18 young adults to explore their lived experiences and resource navigation during the mental health help-seeking process. Guided by the Social-Ecological Framework, our study categorized the resources utilized by young adults into four categories: technological, interpersonal, community-based, and societal. Through thematic analysis, we report preliminary findings that identify specific characteristics of resources that young adults value and prioritize throughout their help-seeking journey. These findings provide implications for designing multi-level mental health resources and interventions to facilitate young adults' help-seeking. We also discuss methodological considerations to encourage in-depth conversations with marginalized groups on sensitive topics like mental health, emphasizing the importance of creating a safe, non-judgmental space for participants to share their experiences openly.

SIG-HLTH Best Health-Related ASIS&T 2024 Annual Meeting Poster Award

Title: The Role of Paying for Access in the Online Information Seeking-Behavior of Canadian Midwives: Preliminary Findings

Authors: Richmond Yeboah & Joan Bartlett, School of Information Studies, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract: It is of paramount importance to support midwifery practice with research evidence. Nevertheless, Canadian midwives encounter significant obstacles in accessing research evidence for practice. As part of a broader study which seeks to identify an optimal method for providing midwives in Canada with access to online clinical resources, this poster reports on the preliminary findings of the survey phase. The objective of this study was to ascertain the frequency with which Canadian midwives utilize information sources accessible to them through institutional affiliations and to determine whether they are aware of the financial cost of providing such services. Additionally, the survey sought to ascertain whether their perception of a resource being free, or premium affects its perceived value and use intentions. A descriptive survey design employing a structured web-based questionnaire was used to collect the requisite data. The preliminary findings indicated that participants perceived the value of free sources to be lower than premium sources and that they intended to use premium sources more frequently if they were able to pay for them. Moreover, the study demonstrated that participants frequently seek information online to support clinical practice, yet they utilize access to online resources through their institutional affiliation less so.

SIG-HLTH Best Health-Related ASIS&T 2023 Annual Meeting Paper Award

"What Is a Wave But 1000 Drops Working Together?": The Role of Public Libraries in Addressing Health Information Disparities For LGBTQIA+ Communities

Authors: Vanessa Kitzie, Nick Vera, and Valerie Vera, University of South Carolina, College of Information & Communications, School of Information Science, USA; Travis Wagner, University of Illinois, School of Information Sciences

Abstract: This paper presents results from a participatory action research study with 46 LGBTQIA+ community leaders and 60 library workers who participated in four community forums at public libraries across the US. The forums identified barriers to LGBTQIA+ communities addressing their health questions and concerns and explored strategies for public libraries to tackle them. Forums followed the World Café format to facilitate collaborative knowledge development and promote participant-led change. Data sources included collaborative notes taken by participants and observational researcher notes. Results revealed that barriers experienced by LGBTQIA+ communities are structurally and socially entrenched and require systematic changes. Public libraries must expand their strategies beyond collection development and one-off programming to meet these requirements. Suggested strategies include outreach, community engagement, and mutual aid initiatives characterized by explicit advocacy for LGBTQIA+ communities and community organizing approaches. Public libraries can readily adopt strategies overviewed in this paper for LGBTQIA+ health promotion.

SIG-HLTH Best Health-Related ASIS&T 2023 Annual Meeting Poster Award

Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Content Moderation on TikTok

Author: Valerie Vera, University of South Carolina, College of Information & Communications, USA

Abstract: Online nonsuicidal self-injury communities commonly create and share information on harm reduction strategies and exchange social support on social media platforms, including the short-form video sharing platform TikTok. While TikTok's Community Guidelines permit users to share personal experiences with mental health topics, TikTok explicitly bans content depicting, promoting, normalizing, or glorifying activities that could lead to self-harm. As such, TikTok may moderate user-generated content, leading to exclusion and marginalization in this digital space. Through semi-structured interviews with eight TikTok users with a history of nonsuicidal self-injury, this research explores how users experience TikTok’s algorithm to create and engage with content on nonsuicidal self-injury. Findings demonstrate that users understand how to circumnavigate TikTok’s algorithm through algospeak and signaling to maintain visibility on the platform. Further, findings emphasize that users actively engage in self-surveillance and self-censorship to create a safe online community. In turn, content moderation can ultimately hinder progress toward the destigmatization of nonsuicidal self-injury and restrict social support exchanged within online nonsuicidal self-injury communities.