Determinants of Internet use as a preferred source of information on personal health
Introduction
The public's growing involvement in managing their own health has become a strategic issue in the health field. Many see the Internet as a means to increase individual participation in disease prevention and health promotion [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]. This situation inspires one to strive for a better understanding of the Internet's appeal as a privileged source of personal health information among the general public.
Recent studies of online health information have generally addressed five main dimensions: (1) conditions of accessibility to the Internet and its information content [6], [7]; (2) the quality of specialized sites and their content [8], [9], [10]; (3) users’ characteristics [2], [6], [1], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15]; (4) familiarity with and uses made of the Internet and the information consulted [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26]; and (5) the impact of these uses in terms of learning or action [1], [14], [27], [28], [29], [30]. In spite of these studies, empirical research is still necessary in order to understand why the general public is making ever greater use of the Internet as a preferred source of information on health [6], [8], [13].
Many studies have suggested that individuals prefer to rely on physicians as their main source of information [6], [31], [32], [33], or to rely on both physicians and the Internet [34]. These findings appear to indicate that individuals use information found on the Internet prudently. Although several studies have provided valuable insights on specific points such as trust [35] or the type of information sought by citizens [36], less attention has been paid to analyzing the personal, social and cultural factors that likely act together, affecting the perceptions and behaviors of Internet users as they search for health information in their everyday life. A better understanding of these factors could be helpful for identifying users’ needs, and for finding ways to increase individual participation in disease prevention and health promotion.
This article seeks to explore personal, social and cultural factors likely to explain recourse to the Internet as a preferred source of personal health information. To this end, we turned our attention to an initiative by a nongovernmental organization whose website combines information and solutions from alternative and complementary medicine with that of mainstream medicine. The findings come from a cross-sectional survey conducted through an online questionnaire that was completed by close to 3000 Internet users in March, 2006.
Section snippets
Review of the literature
Different factors, such as changing knowledge, attitudes, technologies and approaches to care, have encouraged individuals to become more skilled at managing health information from different sources [9], [37], [38], [39]. For a certain portion of the public, other socio-demographic factors related to level of education and income appear to limit their options [6], [40]. As for individuals who do have access to the Internet, one of the issues that has received considerable attention among
Description of the health-related site
This study focuses on a health-related Internet site (www.passeportsante.net) that is dedicated to illness prevention and health promotion through alternative and complementary medicines used in conjunction with mainstream medicine. Among the many health-related sites, this website is notable, as it is a not-for-profit site that operates at arm's length from any commercial or government interests.
The site is funded by a nongovernmental, philanthropic foundation dedicated to improving health
Findings
First, we thought it would be worthwhile to have a better understanding of what specific needs our respondents were trying to satisfy when visiting PasseportSanté.net. According to the data shown in Table 4, respondents were first and foremost interested in using the site to better understand a health problem or an illness. They also consulted the site to obtain alternative points of view as compared to those from mainstream medicine and to find a solution to a particular health problem. An
Discussion
Our findings first reveal that different goals are associated with using the Internet as a source of health information. They also corroborate findings from other studies that found that Internet users were primarily interested in specific information on health problems or illnesses [1], [2], [57]. Other important reasons for using the Internet included adopting a healthier lifestyle (for example, through nutrition, exercise and weight control) and looking for alternative points of view. An
Conclusion
Our findings indicate that use of this kind of Internet site as a preferred source of health-related information is directly associated with five main factors besides socio-demographic characteristics: (1) the perceived usefulness associated with site use, (2) the importance given to print media when actively searching for health information, (3) the individual's concern for his/her own health, (4) the importance given to the opinions of physicians and other health professionals and (5) trust
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canada Research Chairs Program, and the AnÉIS program (analysis and evaluation of health interventions) for making this study possible. The authors would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions.
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