Online Health Information Seeking Among US Adults: Measuring Progress Toward a Healthy People 2020 Objective

Abstract

Objective: During the past decade, the availability of health information online has increased dramatically. We assessed progress toward the Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) health communication and health information technology objective of increasing the proportion of health information seekers who easily access health information online. Methods: We used data from 4 administrations of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 2008-2017) (N = 18 103). We conducted multivariable logistic regression analysis to evaluate trends over time in experiences with accessing health information and to examine differences by sociodemographic variables (sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, income, metropolitan status) separately for those who used the internet (vs other information sources) during their most recent search for health information. Results: Among US adults who looked for health information and used the internet for their most recent search, the percentage who reported accessing health information without frustration was stable during the study period (from 37.2% in 2008 to 38.5% in 2017). Accessing information online without frustration was significantly and independently associated with age 35-49 (vs age 18-34) (odds ratio [OR] = 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 -1.73), non-Hispanic black (vs non-Hispanic white) race/ethnicity (OR = 2.15; 95% CI, 1.55-2.97), and annual household income <$20 000 (vs >$75 000) (OR = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.47-0.93). The percentage of adults who used an information source other than the internet and reported accessing health information online without frustration ranged from 31.3% in 2008 to 42.7% in 2017. Survey year 2017 (vs 2008) (OR = 1.61; 95% CI, 1.09-2.35) and high school graduate education (vs college graduate) (OR = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.49-0.97) were significantly and independently associated with accessing health information without frustration from sources other than the internet. Conclusions: The percentage of online health information seekers reporting easily accessing health information did not meet the HP2020 objective. Continued efforts are needed to enable easy access to online health information among diverse populations.

Social and Demographic Patterns of Health-Related Internet Use Among Adults in the United States: A Secondary Data Analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey

“…Consistent with prior HINTS studies, primary predictors of interest were gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, income, home ownership, and nativity [ 28 , 32 ]. Consistent with prior HINTS analyses, missing responses were imputed using hot-deck imputation method to preserve the distribution of observed responses [ 34 ].…”

“…While many studies have examined use of the internet for health-related purposes for specific health conditions, gaps remain in examining disparities in use for a broad range of purposes including communication with healthcare professionals, health-related social media use, and general health information seeking [ 28 , 29 ]. Further, few studies have examined disparities in health-related internet use (HRIU) across a variety of demographic and health factors among a nationally representative dataset.…”

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

“…Since the report on HRIU among cancer survivors by Chou and colleagues, the online landscape has considerably shifted, where 90% of Americans reported using the internet compared with the year 2000, when nearly half the American adult population did not use the internet, per a 2019 report from the Pew Research Center [17]. In the general US population, the use of the internet as the first source for health information has risen across the years [1,18]. Upon examining the individual types of HRIU in cancer survivors, Chou and colleagues found a significant trend across the years for all types of HRIU except cancer information seeking.…”

Patients’ Understanding of Oncology Clinical Endpoints: Environmental Scan and Focus Groups

“…Even though health care professionals may not be discussing these endpoints with patients [4], previous research has found that patients with cancer actively seek information online [17]. However, many people are still frustrated by their online health searches [18]. In line with this finding, many of the definitions we identified used technical language that may not be easily understood.…”