Users of Internet Health Information: Differences by Health Status

Abstract

BackgroundMillions of consumers have accessed health information online. However, little is known about their health status.ObjectiveTo explore use of Internet health information among those who were sicker (fair/poor general health status) compared with those reported being healthier.MethodsA national, random-digit telephone survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project identified 521 Internet users who go online for health care information. Our primary independent variable was general health status rated as excellent, good, fair, or poor. Patterns of Internet use, and types of information searched were assessed.ResultsAmong the 521 users, 64% were female, most (87%) were white, and median age was 42 years. Most individuals indicated that they learned something new online (81%) and indicated that they believe most information on the Internet (52%). Compared with those with excellent/good health, those with fair/poor health (N = 59) were relative newcomers to the Internet but tended to use the Internet more frequently, were more likely to use online chats, were less likely to search for someone other than themselves, and were more likely to talk about the new information with their physician (odds ratio 3.3 [95% confidence interval 1.8-6.3]), after adjustment for age, education and income.ConclusionsHealth care professionals should be aware that their sicker patients are more likely to ask them about information they found online. Physicians, public health professionals, and eHealth developers should work together to educate patients about searching for health information online and to provide tools for them to navigate to the highest quality information.

Consumer health information on the Internet: an evaluation report on the Nova Scotia Health Network

“…This finding is consistent with other research studies on Internet use for health information [14,5]. Previous research demonstrated that education level also affects Internet usage.…”

“…Results reported from previous studies of individuals using the Internet to obtain health care information are consistent with the findings of this survey. According to Houston and Allison, the majority of "activist health consumers" (individuals who use the Internet to obtain health care information) are female, white, and English speaking [14].…”

Does Personality Matter When We Are Sick? An Empirical Study of the Role of Personality Traits and Health Emotion in Healthcare Technology Adoption Decision

“…Xiao et al [22] very recently conducted an empirical study and reported that individuals with poor health status have high health emotion and are frequent visitors to online chat rooms for seeking health-related information than those with good health and low health emotion. Xiao et al's study supports findings of another previous study in the contexts of Internet health information use [43], where higher health emotion leads to higher level of healthcare technology usage. Using a survey study, Houston and Allison reported that individuals with poor health condition were more likely to use Internet and online chats than individuals with a relatively good health condition, even though poor health condition individuals were relatively newcomers to both Internet and online chat technologies.…”

Factors that influence public engagement with eHealth: A literature review

“…In a telephone survey of 500 Americans seeking to compare health information use between those who were sicker and those who were healthier, Houston and Allison [29] found an association between lower health status and a shorter history of Internet usage. However, Lower levels of mental health, along with higher perceptions of general health, were positively correlated with levels of Internet use in Bowen et al [26].…”