scholarly journals Health Information-seeking Behaviors: A Review of National Survey Instruments (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gyeonghui Jeong ◽  
Hanna Choi
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Health Lifestyle ◽  
Survey Instruments ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has also emerged as an infodemic, worsening the harm of the pandemic for people. The situation has highlighted the need for a deeply rooted understanding of health-information seeking behaviors (HISB). OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to review and provide insight regarding methodologies and the construct of content HISB surveys by answering the following research question: what are the characteristics of measurement tools for assessing HISBs in nationally representative surveys around the world? METHODS The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) was used as a framework for the study. A data search was performed through six international and two Korean search engines between October 22, 2017, and November 13, 2017. Initially, the studies performed among nationally representative samples within the past 10 years were included to discover HISB survey instruments. The methodologies of the studies using HISB surveys were analyzed. For content analysis, two researchers reached a consensus through discussion by scrutinizing the contents of each survey questionnaire. RESULTS A total of 10 survey tools from six countries were identified after a review of 1,476 records from the search results. Five survey tools (HINTS, HTS, ANHCS, NHIS, and HTHS) from the United States (U.S.) and each of one tool from European Union (E.U.), France, Germany, Israel, and Poland were identified. National institutes or individual researchers designed these surveys by using the items of the dichotomous or Likert scale. Telephone or online surveys were commonly used targeting the adult population (≥ 15 years of age). From the content analysis, the domains of the survey items were categorized as follows: health (overall health, lifestyle, and cancer), information (health information and patient medical records), and channel (offline and online). All categories encompassed behavioral and attitude dimensions. A theoretical framework—an Information-Channel-Health (ICH) structure—for HISB was proposed. CONCLUSIONS The results can contribute to the development and implementation of survey tools for HISB with integrated questionnaire items. This will help to understand HISB trends and enhance patient engagement in national healthcare.

scholarly journals EDUCATION, LITERACY, NUMERACY AND HEALTH INFORMATION SEEKING IN LATER LIFE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S322-S322
Author(s):  
Takashi Yamashita ◽  
Anthony R Bardo ◽  
Roberto J Millar ◽  
Shalini Sahoo ◽  
Phyllis Cummins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Education And Health ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors

Abstract Health information plays a critical role for health promotion and maintenance in later life. While health information seeking is primarily driven by need (e.g., health), significantly less is known about the roles of education and health-literacy. Thus, we examine complex pathways that link health information seeking behaviors with education and health literacy (decomposed into general literacy and numeracy), and how these pathways differ by health status among a nationally representative sample of Americans age 50 and older (n = 2,750). Data come from the 2012/2014 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies. Multi-group structural equation models were used to examine the use of eight health information sources (newspapers, magazines, internet, radio, TV, books, friends/family, and health professionals) by health status (good vs. poor). Findings showed that literacy and numeracy are significant mediators of the relationship between education and health professional as an information source. Additionally, the mediation effects on health professionals by literacy status [indirect-effect (good vs. poor health) = 0.48 vs. 2.13, p < 0.05] and numeracy [indirect-effect (good vs. poor health) = -0.47 vs. -1.81, p < 0.05] were significantly moderated by health. At the same time, no moderated mediation effect was observed in the use of any other information sources. This study provides some of the first nationally representative evidence regarding how education functions through health literacy components to shape health information seeking behaviors by health status. Explanations and implications for differing effects of education, literacy, and numeracy on health information seeking in later life were evaluated.

scholarly journals Literacy, Numeracy, and Health Information Seeking Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Yamashita ◽  
Anthony R. Bardo ◽  
Darren Liu ◽  
Phyllis A. Cummins
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Nationally Representative

Objectives: Health literacy is often viewed as an essential skill set for successfully seeking health information to make health-related decisions. However, this general understanding has yet to be established with the use of nationally representative data. The objective of this study was to provide the first nationally representative empirical evidence that links health information seeking behaviors with health literacy among middle-age to older adults in the United States. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2012/2014 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Literacy (PIAAC). Our analytic sample is representative of adults age 45 to 74 years ( N = 2,989). Results: Distinct components of health literacy (i.e., literacy and numeracy) were uniquely associated with the use of different health information sources (e.g., health professionals, the Internet, television). Discussion: Findings should be useful for government agencies and health care providers interested in targeting health communications, as well as researchers who focus on health disparities.

scholarly journals A Comparative Study of Internet Cancer Information Seeking among US and Chinese Publics: Perceived Needs versus Enabling Conditions (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Zhang ◽  
Hongchao Hu ◽  
Zhen Shi ◽  
Biao Li
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Behavioral Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cancer Information ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Health Services Use ◽  
Perceived Needs ◽  
Cancer Information Seeking

BACKGROUND Since the rise of the internet, online health information seeking has attracted worldwide scholarly attention. However, most scholars conducted such studies in single countries. Some scholars did design comparative studies across countries, but they were normally based on small non-probability college student samples. Data-driven multi-country comparison makes it possible to better understand how cultural factors moderate the association between individual-level determinants and online health information seeking, which further helps practitioners evaluate the desirability of experiences and lessons in a given country being transferred and promoted in other countries. The results of this study can contribute to the health communication literature, particularly in the field of online cancer information seeking, by generating more reliable insights on country differences in internet cancer information seeking. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study is to examine the similarities and differences in determinants of internet cancer information seeking of US and Chinese general public (excluding cancer patients and survivors) under the framework of behavioral model of health services use. METHODS This study used the HINTS 2017 (US data) and HINTS-China data collected in 2017 to answer the research question. This study was only interested in people without cancer history and with internet access. For HINTS 2017, the sample size was 2,153; for HINTS-China 2017, the sample size was 2,358. To compare China and the United States, the researchers selected as predictors the same set of study variables in HINTS and HINTS-China 2017. Under the framework of behavioral model of health services use, these predictors included predisposing, need and enabling factors. RESULTS This study found that enabling conditions are more important in China, while perceived needs are more significant in the United States. Chinese online cancer information seekers are employed, have lower annual family income, see or hear their family members diagnosed with cancer and do not trust their family and friends as health information sources, but none of them can be used to describe their US counterparts, who are instead more associated with their perceptions of personal health status and fear of cancer. CONCLUSIONS Overall, under the framework of the behavioral model of health services use, the results reveal clear patterns of cross-country/cultural differences. Perceived needs of individuals may play bigger roles in influencing internet cancer information seeking behaviors in more individualistic cultures such as the United States. The importance of enabling conditions outweighs perceived needs in predicting internet health information seeking behaviors in more collectivistic countries such as China.

scholarly journals Health Information–Seeking Behaviors of Family Caregivers: Analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren R Bangerter ◽  
Joan Griffin ◽  
Kristin Harden ◽  
Lila J Rutten
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Private Insurance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
National Trends ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors

BACKGROUND The growing population of aging adults relies on informal caregivers to help meet their health care needs, get help with decision making, and gather health information. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine health information–seeking behaviors among caregivers and to identify caregiver characteristics that contribute to difficulty in seeking health information. METHODS Data from the Health Information National Trends Survey 5, Cycle 1 (N=3181) were used to compare health information seeking of caregivers (n=391) with noncaregivers (n=2790). RESULTS Caregivers sought health information for themselves and others using computers, smartphones, or other electronic means more frequently than noncaregivers. Caregivers born outside of the United States reported greater difficulty seeking health information (beta=.42; P=.02). Nonwhite caregivers (beta =−.33; P=.03), those with less education (beta =−.35; P=.02), those with private insurance (beta =−.37; P=.01), and those without a regular health care provider (beta =−.35; P=.01) had less confidence seeking health information. Caregivers with higher income had more confidence (beta =.12; P≤.001) seeking health information. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the prevalence of electronic means to find health information among caregivers. Notable differences in difficulty and confidence in health information seeking exist between caregivers, indicating the need for more attention to the socioeconomic status and caregivers born outside of the United States. Findings can guide efforts to optimize caregivers’ health information–seeking experiences.

scholarly journals Health Information Seeking Behaviors of Ethnically Diverse Adolescents

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 652-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia E. Okoniewski ◽  
Young Ji Lee ◽  
Martha Rodriguez ◽  
Rebecca Schnall ◽  
Alexander F. H. Low
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors ◽  
Ethnically Diverse Adolescents

scholarly journals Rural Men’s Health, Health Information Seeking, and Gender Identities: A Conceptual Theoretical Review of the Literature

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 863-876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley Hiebert ◽  
Beverly Leipert ◽  
Sandra Regan ◽  
Jacquelyn Burkell
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Men’S Health ◽  
Men's Health ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Gender Identities ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors

Beginning as early as 2009, recent shifts in Canadian health care delivery indicate that access to health information is essential to promote and maintain a healthy population. It is important to understand how and where various populations, such as underresourced rural populations, access health information so that public health agencies can develop and deliver appropriate information with, for, and in these contexts. There is a paucity of research that specifically examines how rural Canadian men seek health information; therefore, this review aimed to conceptualize this process based on three dynamic key constructs: health patterns of rural Canadians, health information–seeking behaviors, and rural gender identities. This conceptual theoretical literature review included 91 articles at the intersection of these three constructs. Discussion focuses on how residing in a rural region influences men’s health and health care access. Health information–seeking behaviors are discussed in terms of social networks and framed with a rural context. Connell’s theory of masculinity provides a useful approach to dissecting how rural men’s gender identities influence their health attitudes, and how such attitudes are embedded in rural social and cultural norms. Each major construct—health in rural Canada, health information seeking, and rural gender identities—is discussed to highlight how specific embodiments of masculinity may promote and inhibit men’s health information–seeking and positive health behaviors.

scholarly journals A Cross-Cultural Comparison of an Extended Planned Risk Information Seeking Model on Mental Health Among College Students: Cross-Sectional Study

10.2196/15817 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. e15817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaomeng Niu ◽  
Jessica Fitts Willoughby ◽  
Jing Mei ◽  
Shaochun Li ◽  
Pengwei Hu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Media Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Chinese Sample ◽  
Mental Health Information

Background Approximately 42.5 million adults have been affected by mental illness in the United States in 2013, and 173 million people have been affected by a diagnosable psychiatric disorder in China. An increasing number of people tend to seek health information on the Web, and it is important to understand the factors associated with individuals’ mental health information seeking. Identifying factors associated with mental health information seeking may influence the disease progression of potential patients. Objective This study aimed to test the planned risk information seeking model (PRISM) in China and the United States with a chronic disease, mental illness, and two additional factors, ie, media use and cultural identity, among college students. Methods Data were collected in both countries using the same online survey through a survey management program (Qualtrics). In China, college instructors distributed the survey link among university students, and it was also posted on a leading social media site called Sina Weibo. In the United States, the data were collected in a college-wide survey pool in a large Northwestern university. Results The final sample size was 235 for the Chinese sample and 241 for the US sample. Media use was significantly associated with mental health information–seeking intentions in the Chinese sample (P<.001), and cultural identity was significantly associated with intentions in both samples (China: P=.02; United States: P<.001). The extended PRISM had a better model fit than the original PRISM. Conclusions Cultural identity and media use should be considered when evaluating the process of mental health information seeking or when designing interventions to address mental health information seeking.

Educated but anxious: How emotional states and education levels combine to influence online health information seeking

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 649-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Gall Myrick ◽  
Jessica Fitts Willoughby
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Appraisal Theory ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Psychological States ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Online Health Information Seeking ◽  
Nationally Representative

This study combined conceptual frameworks from health information seeking, appraisal theory of emotions, and social determinants of health literatures to examine how emotional states and education predict online health information seeking. Nationally representative data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 4, Cycle 3) were used to test the roles of education, anxiety, anger, sadness, hope, happiness, and an education by anxiety interaction in predicting online health information seeking. Results suggest that women, tablet owners, smartphone owners, the college educated, those who are sad some or all of the time, and those who are anxious most of the time were significantly more likely to seek online health information. Conversely, being angry all of the time decreased the likelihood of seeking. Furthermore, two significant interactions emerged between anxiety and education levels. Discrete psychological states and demographic factors (gender and education) individually and jointly impact information seeking tendencies.

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