HOW HEALTH STATUS IMPACTS THE TYPES OF INFORMATION CONSUMERS SEEK ONLINE

Abstract

A few studies examine what types of health information people seek online, yet we know little about how this varies by health status. To examine this question we used data collected from a random sample of 2,038 adults for the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which asked respondents in the United States whether they searched for 16 different types of information. These 16 topics were grouped into three broad areas, including medical conditions and treatments, health issues (e.g. diet and smoking cessation), and providers and payment (e.g. a particular hospital). To build on prior literature, two measures of health status were used: a self-report and the presence of a medical condition. The data suggest that health status impacts the types of health or medical information people seek on the Internet. Self-reported health status was not significantly related to any of the topics; however, respondents diagnosed with a disability or chronic disease were more likely to seek medical information on 13 of the 16 topics addressed. These include specific diseases or medical conditions, medical treatments or procedures, experimental treatments or medicines, alternative treatments or medicines, pharmaceutical or over-the-counter drugs, diet, immunizations, smoking cessation, depression, sexual health, environmental health hazards, a particular physician or hospital, and Medicaid/Medicare (governmental health programs in the United States for the poor and elderly). These results suggest that individuals in the United States who have a medical condition are more likely than healthy individuals to research most health topics online. The Internet can provide consumers with a wealth of information on issues of health and illness, yet healthcare providers need to educate consumers to be cautious given the range in quality.

Keywords:

• Internet
• World Wide Web
• health status
• illness
• health
• E-health

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melinda Goldner

Melinda Goldner is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Her research interests focus on online health searches, the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) movement, integrative medicine and informal caregiving. Her most recent publications include an article on how physicians and hospitals respond to the CAM movement in the Sociology of Health & Illness, as well as a chapter on CAM consumers in a book entitled The Mainstreaming of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Studies in Social Context (edited by Philip Tovey, Gary Easthope and Jon Adams for Routledge). She also serves as the Associate Book Review Editor for Complementary Health Practice Review.