Korean Americans' Prescription Drug Information Seeking and Evaluation and Use of Different Information Sources

Abstract

This study examined Korean Americans' prescription drug information seeking, evaluation and use of different information sources, and communication with physicians, and compared the findings with those from the White American population. The results suggest that although Korean and White Americans were similar in extent of drug information seeking, Korean Americans tended to experience relatively greater difficulty finding information. Regarding perceived source usefulness, Korean Americans were significantly more likely to perceive higher usefulness in mass media and direct-to-consumer advertising sources than were Whites. Korean Americans were also more likely to use fewer sources, and less likely to use mass media and printed materials in drug information seeking. However, the hypothesized in-group source preference by Korean Americans was not found.

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a grant from the American Academy of Advertising.

Notes

Note. For age, F(1, 200) = 13.58, p = .00; for gender, χ²(1) = .52, p = .47; for education, χ²(7) = 19.64, p = .01; for income, χ²(7) = 7.95, p = .34.