Seeking health information online among U.S. pregnant women: findings from the 2009-2018 National Health Interview Surveys

ABSTRACT

Seeking health information online has gained in popularity. However, few studies have investigated seeking health information online among U.S. pregnant women. The aim of this study was to investigate the patterns, trends, and characteristics of pregnant women in the U.S. who seek health information online. We obtained data from the National Health Interview Survey from 2009 to 2018. The study population consisted of women aged 18 to 49 years who self-reported being pregnant. Complex survey weighting and Chi-squared tests were used to evaluate trends and compare characteristics of online users and nonusers. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate characteristics associated with seeking health information online. Significantly more pregnant women sought health information online in 2018 compared to 2009 (72.9 percent, standard error [SE]: 3.3, 95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 66.3 percent–79.5 percent, vs. 60.7 percent, SE: 3.3, 95 percent CI: 54.0 percent–67.4 percent, p < .01). Pregnant women who were identified as white or Black, who had more education, and who had higher incomes were significantly more likely to report seeking health information online. Healthcare providers should actively initiate conversations to address the safety, accuracy, and reliability of online health information for their pregnant patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Health information
• internet
• National Health Interview Survey
• pregnant women

Acknowledgements

This study is based in part on data from the National Health Interview Survey database provided by the NCHS and managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The interpretation and conclusions contained herein do not represent those of the NCHS or the CDC.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which is a publicly available resource that can be downloaded from the official NHIS website (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/index.htm).

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.