Cancer Information Seeking Behaviors of Korean American Women: A Mixed-Methods Study Using Surveys and Focus Group Interviews

Source of Health Information and Unmet Healthcare Needs in Asian Americans

“…It seems that interpersonal sources were preferred among those who shared understandings, experiences, cultural norms, and languages (Kim et al, 2015; Todd & Hoffman-Goetz, 2011). The preference of health professionals was observed in a study with Korean American women on cancer-related information seeking behaviors (Oh et al, 2015) where health professionals were found to be the most important, trust-worthy, and credible sources of health information.…”

“…It is not surprising that individuals with language barriers have a high reliance on the Internet and media sources in their native language and social network members sharing the same language and culture (Islam et al, 2016; Wang & Yu, 2015). Another important factor in health information seeking is the credibility of the source (Oh, Jun, Zhao, Kreps, & Lee, 2015; Ruppel & Rains, 2012). In a study with Korean American women (Oh et al, 2015), doctors or other health professionals were found to be more trusted than family, friends or media sources in seeking cancer-related information.…”

“…Another important factor in health information seeking is the credibility of the source (Oh, Jun, Zhao, Kreps, & Lee, 2015; Ruppel & Rains, 2012). In a study with Korean American women (Oh et al, 2015), doctors or other health professionals were found to be more trusted than family, friends or media sources in seeking cancer-related information.…”

Translation and Validation of the Korean Version of the Revised Health Care System Distrust Scale (HCSD-K) in Korean American Women

“…[ 23 ] Consistent with this finding, previous studies showed that KAs prefer Korean doctors because of language proficiency, cultural sensitivity, understandability, and convenience. [ 25 ]…”

“…We contacted major Korean churches in Chicago and the surrounding metropolitan areas because (1) more than 70% of the KA population attend Korean churches, and (2) KAs tend to seek health care information from church and church members. [ 24 , 25 ] We then asked permission from the key personnel (pastors or gatekeepers) in the four Korean churches to recruit participants before and after worship services on Sundays. With permission, a table was set up with study flyers.…”