Literature has shown that people living in rural areas are less likely to have access to the Internet for demographic and technological reasons; however, less information is available regarding rural-urban differences in online health-information seeking. Data from the National Cancer Institute's nationally representative 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey (N = 5,586) are used to examine these relationships. Logistic regression results show that those in rural areas use the Internet less than those who live in urban areas. Among individuals who have used the Internet, those in rural areas are less likely to use the Internet for health purposes. The persistence of a digital divide between rural and urban residents in online health searching is attributable to factors such as educational level, income, and diffusion of broadband. The article discusses the impact of these differences.This article examines rural-urban differences in factors associated with using the Internet for general and health-related purposes. First, we examine factors associated with general Internet use. Second, we limit our analysis to Internet users to examine what factors are associated with types and number of health-related Internet uses during the past year. We pay particular attention to rural-urban differences, because

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Objective. Few social scientists have examined how Internet usage, including using the Internet for health purposes, may affect mental health. This study assesses whether the type or amount of online health activities and the timing of Internet use are associated with psychological distress.Methods. We use data from the National Cancer Institute's 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey.Results. When we compare Internet users to non-Internet users, using the Internet and using the Internet for health purposes are negatively associated with distress. However, among Internet users, the number of online health activities is positively associated with distress. Greater distress is also associated with using the Internet on weekdays and looking online for information on sun protection.Conclusions. Internet usage is not necessarily positively associated with psychological distress. The effects depend on the type, amount, and timing of Internet usage.

Objective. Increasingly, people use the Internet and email for health purposes; however, we know little about whether this varies by health status. This study examines whether sick or healthy people are more likely to access the Internet, conduct online health searches, and exchange emails regarding health issues. Methods. We conduct multivariate analysis on a random sample of 2,038 adults. Results. Despite greater Internet access, respondents in excellent/good health are less likely to say they conduct online health searches because they have no health concerns or are satisfied with other health sources. In contrast, sick and disabled respondents are more likely to seek medical information online, and do so more frequently. They are also more likely to exchange health emails with friends and physicians. Conclusions. Practitioners especially need to educate their sicker patients about the uneven quality of online health information since they are more likely than healthier patients to conduct online health searches.