Ethnic origin and access to electronic health services

E-health holds the promise of changing the delivery of health care by extending and enhancing its reach, and democratizing and improving the access of disadvantaged groups to health care services. This study investigated ethnic inequalities in access to e-health information, communication and electronic services in Israel. Based on the diversification hypothesis, we expected that disadvantaged ethnic groups would be more likely to use e-health services to compensate for their lack of social capital. Data gathered from a representative sample of Internet users in Israel (n=1371) provided partial support for the hypothesis, indicating that in multicultural societies, disadvantaged groups are more motivated than the majority group to use the Internet to access medical information. However, despite expectations, minority groups were less likely to access e-health services. Implications of the findings are discussed.