Biomaterial Database

Trusted online sources of health information: differences in demographics, health beliefs, and health-information orientation. 2003

Mohan Dutta-Bergman

Department of Communication, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA. mdutta-bergman@sla.purdue.edu

BACKGROUND The recent surge in online health information and consumer use of such information has led to expert speculations and prescriptions about the credibility of health information on the World Wide Web. In spite of the growing concern over online health information sources, existing research reveals a lacuna in the realm of consumer evaluations of trustworthiness of different health information sources on the Internet. OBJECTIVE This study examines consumer evaluation of sources of health information on the World Wide Web, comparing the demographic, attitudinal, and cognitive differences between individuals that most trust a particular source of information and individuals that do not trust the specific source of health information. Comparisons are made across a variety of sources. METHODS The Porter Novelli HealthStyles database, collected annually since 1995, is based on the results of nationally-representative postal-mail surveys. In 1999, 2636 respondents provided usable data for the HealthStyles database. Independent sample t tests were conducted to compare the respondents in the realm of demographic, attitudinal, and cognitive variables. RESULTS The most trusted sources of online health information included the personal doctor, medical university, and federal government. The results demonstrated significant differences in demographic and health-oriented variables when respondents who trusted a particular online source were compared with respondents that did not trust the source, suggesting the need for a segmented approach to research and application. Individuals trusting the local doctor were younger (t2634 = 4.02, P <.001) and held stronger health beliefs (F1 = 5.65, P =.018); individuals trusting the local hospital were less educated (t2634 = 3.83, P <.001), low health information oriented (F1 = 6.41, P =.011), and held weaker health beliefs (F1 = 5.56, P =.018). Respondents with greater trust in health insurance companies as online health information sources were less educated (t2634 = 1.90, P =.05) and less health information oriented (F1 = 4.30, P =.04). Trust in medical universities was positively associated with education (t2634 = 11.83, P <.001), income (t2634 = 10.19, P <.001), and health information orientation (F1 = 10.32, P <.001). Similar results were observed in the realm of federal information credibility, with individuals with greater trust in federal sources being more educated (t2634 = 7.45, P <.001) and health information oriented (F1 = 4.45, P =.04) than their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest systematic differences in the consumer segment based on the different sources of health information trusted by the consumer. While certain sources such as the local hospital and the health insurance company might serve as credible sources of health information for the lower socioeconomic and less health-oriented consumer segment, sources such as medical universities and federal Web sites might serve as trustworthy sources for the higher socioeconomic and more health-oriented groups.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007255	Information Services	Organized services to provide information on any questions an individual might have using databases and other sources. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	Information Networks,Information Specialists,Services, Information,Information Network,Information Service,Information Specialist,Network, Information,Networks, Information,Service, Information,Specialist, Information,Specialists, Information
D007343	Insurance Carriers	Organizations which assume the financial responsibility for the risks of policyholders.	Insurance Providers,Insurers,Carrier, Insurance,Carriers, Insurance,Insurance Carrier,Insurance Provider,Insurer,Provider, Insurance,Providers, Insurance
D010821	Physicians, Family	Those physicians who have completed the education requirements specified by the American Academy of Family Physicians.	Family Physician,Family Physicians,Physician, Family
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D003153	Community Health Services	Diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive health services provided for individuals in the community.	Community Health Care,Community Healthcare,Health Services, Community,Services, Community Health,Community Health Service,Health Care, Community,Health Service, Community,Healthcare, Community,Service, Community Health
D003258	Consumer Behavior	Behavior associated with the procurement of goods, services, or experiences.	Consumer Preference,Consumer Satisfaction,Behavior, Consumer,Behaviors, Consumer,Consumer Behaviors,Consumer Preferences,Preference, Consumer,Preferences, Consumer,Satisfaction, Consumer
D003710	Demography	Statistical interpretation and description of a population with reference to distribution, composition, or structure.	Demographer,Demographic,Demographic and Health Survey,Population Distribution,Accounting, Demographic,Analyses, Demographic,Analyses, Multiregional,Analysis, Period,Brass Technic,Brass Technique,Demographers,Demographic Accounting,Demographic Analysis,Demographic Factor,Demographic Factors,Demographic Impact,Demographic Impacts,Demographic Survey,Demographic Surveys,Demographic and Health Surveys,Demographics,Demography, Historical,Demography, Prehistoric,Factor, Demographic,Factors, Demographic,Family Reconstitution,Historical Demography,Impact, Demographic,Impacts, Demographic,Multiregional Analysis,Period Analysis,Population Spatial Distribution,Prehistoric Demography,Reverse Survival Method,Stable Population Method,Survey, Demographic,Surveys, Demographic,Analyses, Period,Analysis, Demographic,Analysis, Multiregional,Demographic Analyses,Demographies, Historical,Demographies, Prehistoric,Distribution, Population,Distribution, Population Spatial,Distributions, Population,Distributions, Population Spatial,Family Reconstitutions,Historical Demographies,Method, Reverse Survival,Method, Stable Population,Methods, Reverse Survival,Methods, Stable Population,Multiregional Analyses,Period Analyses,Population Distributions,Population Methods, Stable,Population Spatial Distributions,Prehistoric Demographies,Reconstitution, Family,Reconstitutions, Family,Reverse Survival Methods,Spatial Distribution, Population,Spatial Distributions, Population,Stable Population Methods,Technic, Brass,Technique, Brass
D004522	Educational Status	Educational attainment or level of education of an individual.	Education Level,Educational Achievement,Educational Attainment,Educational Level,Level of Education,Maternal Education Level,Maternal Educational Attainment,Maternal Educational Level,Paternal Education Level,Paternal Educational Attainment,Paternal Educational Level,Achievement, Educational,Educational Status, Maternal,Educational Status, Paternal,Maternal Educational Status,Paternal Educational Status,Status, Educational,Attainment, Educational,Attainment, Maternal Educational,Attainment, Paternal Educational,Education Level, Maternal,Education Level, Paternal,Education Levels,Educational Achievements,Educational Attainment, Maternal,Educational Attainment, Paternal,Educational Attainments,Educational Level, Maternal,Educational Level, Paternal,Educational Levels,Level, Education,Level, Educational,Level, Maternal Education,Level, Maternal Educational,Level, Paternal Education,Level, Paternal Educational,Levels, Maternal Educational,Maternal Education Levels,Maternal Educational Attainments,Maternal Educational Levels,Paternal Education Levels,Paternal Educational Attainments,Paternal Educational Levels,Status, Maternal Educational,Status, Paternal Educational
D006266	Health Education	Education that increases the awareness and favorably influences the attitudes and knowledge relating to the improvement of health on a personal or community basis.	Community Health Education,Education, Health,Education, Community Health,Health Education, Community
D006764	Hospitals, Community	Institutions with permanent facilities and organized medical staff which provide the full range of hospital services primarily to a neighborhood area.	Community Hospital,Community Hospitals,Hospital, Community