Differences Between Races in Health Information Seeking and Trust Over Time: Evidence From a Cross-Sectional, Pooled Analyses of HINTS Data

Abstract

<jats:sec><jats:title>Purpose:</jats:title><jats:p> Assessed racial disparities in health information-seeking behavior and trust of information sources from 2007 to 2017. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Design:</jats:title><jats:p> Pooled cross-sectional survey data. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Setting:</jats:title><jats:p> Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Participation:</jats:title><jats:p> Data included 6 iterations of HINTS (pooled: N = 19 496; 2007: n = 3593; 2011: n = 3959; 2013: n = 3185; Food and Drug Administration [FDA] 2015: n = 3738; 2017: n = 3285; and FDA 2017: n = 1736). </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Measures:</jats:title><jats:p> Outcome variables were health information seeking, high confidence, and high trust of health information from several sources. Independent variable was race group, controlling for other sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Analysis:</jats:title><jats:p> Weighted descriptive and multivariate logistic regression for the pooled sample assessed associations by race. Fully interacted models with race–survey year interactions compared differences in outcomes between years. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results:</jats:title><jats:p> Black respondents, relative to white, had greater odds of having high confidence in their ability to attain health information, trust of health information from newspapers and magazines, radio, internet, television, government, charitable organizations, and religious organizations. Hispanic respondents, relative to white, had lower odds of seeking health information and trusting health information from doctors. They had higher odds of trusting health information from the radio, the internet, television, charitable organizations, and religious organizations. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion:</jats:title><jats:p> Disparities between races in trust of information sources remained across time. Understanding optimal information media, their reach, and credibility among racial groups could enable more targeted approaches to developing interventions. Our analytical approach minimized limitations present in the HINTS. </jats:p></jats:sec>

The role of trust in HPV vaccine uptake among racial and ethnic minorities in the United States: a narrative review

“…In national surveys that used items asking respondents how much they trusted information from a doctor, levels of trust were relatively high across racial and ethnic groups with a few exceptions. Hispanic men reported lower levels of trust in information from their doctor compared to White and Black men, and this difference appears to be stable across multiple waves of the HINTS [48] . Black women reported higher levels of trust in other sources such as government health agencies, television, religious organizations, and family members compared to White women, and this finding also remained consistent over time [48] .…”

“…Hispanic men reported lower levels of trust in information from their doctor compared to White and Black men, and this difference appears to be stable across multiple waves of the HINTS [48] . Black women reported higher levels of trust in other sources such as government health agencies, television, religious organizations, and family members compared to White women, and this finding also remained consistent over time [48] . In contrast, studies that used the validated Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale (GBMMS) found that Black women had the highest levels of mistrust and White women had the lowest levels [28] , and levels of mistrust were higher among unvaccinated women compared to vaccinated women.…”

Persistent digital divide in health-related internet use among cancer survivors: findings from the Health Information National Trends Survey, 2003–2018

“…Previous research has indicated that these platforms as a source of support for cancer may be too general and more emotionally oriented (as opposed to focused on resources/needs) [33]. Popular social media outlets such as Facebook may also provide information that needs to be appraised for quality to ensure that it is evidence based [34,35]. Recent developments in online support group platforms include patient-generated health-data cohorts, where cancer survivors can report health data and experiences through their mobile and wearable health devices [36].…”

Web-Based Health Information Seeking Among African American and Hispanic Men Living With Chronic Conditions: Cross-sectional Survey Study

“…Previous research does not provide enough clarity on how these factors might affect internet-based information-seeking behaviors of African American and Hispanic men with chronic conditions; however, there is reason to expect some differences. Some studies have examined web-based health information seeking by race [ 29 , 30 ] or by sex, specifically for men with chronic diseases [ 31 ], but did not focus specifically on African American and Hispanic men with chronic conditions. This population has been found to experience important barriers to disease self-management [ 32 ], have less access to health insurance and preventative care [ 33 ], have higher rates of preventable hospitalizations [ 34 ], and are more likely to die from their chronic conditions compared with non-Hispanic White men [ 35 ].…”