Characteristics of the Measurement Tools for Assessing Health Information-Seeking Behaviors in Nationally Representative Surveys: Systematic Review

Comparison of factors affecting Turkish citizens' search for online health information before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Health information consumers can acquire knowledge regarding health problems, combat health problems, make health-related decisions, and change their behaviour by conducting health information searches. This study aims to identify the sociodemographic and economic factors affecting individuals' search for health information on the internet before and during COVID-19.

METHODS

In this study, micro data sets of the Household Information Technologies (IT) Usage Survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute in 2018 and 2021 were used. The binary logistic regression analysis was also used in the study.

RESULTS

It was determined that age, gender, education level, occupation, social media use, searching for information about goods and services, internet banking use, e-government use, having a desktop computer, having a tablet computer, and region variables were associated with the status of searching for health information on the internet during the COVID-19 period.

CONCLUSION

The main reasons for the increase in health information searches during the COVID-19 epidemic can be attributed to several key factors, such as society's need for information and meeting its need for information, access to up-to-date health data and increased trust in official sources. The study's findings serve as a valuable resource for health service providers and information sources attempting to identify the health information-seeking behaviour of the public and to meet their needs in this context.

The impact of online health information source preference on intolerance to uncertainty and cyberchondria in a youthful generation

Background

The increasing utilization of the Internet to access health-related information is believed to heighten anxiety and trigger cyberchondria due to the presence of conflicting and sometimes overly detailed information.

Aim

To investigate the levels of cyberchondria and intolerance of uncertainty among university students and their relationship with different online health information sources.

Methods

Between June and July 2022, 420 university students (mean age = 21.5 ± 2 years, 54% female) participated in this cross-sectional study. The socio-demographic form, Uncertainty Intolerance Scale (IUS), and Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS) were used in data collection. Pearson correlation test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to identify factors associated with cyberchondria.

Results

Forums and private hospital/clinic websites were the most frequently utilized online health information sources, while governmental websites were the least. The mean scores for CSS and IUS were 81.5 and 41.0, respectively. There was no significant gender-based difference in CSS and IUS scores. Students who used newspapers/magazines and social media for health information had significantly higher scores on both scales. Cyberchondria had a negative association with age [odds ratio (OR) = 0.90], a positive significant relationship with newspaper/magazine website use (OR = 7.24), and IUS score (OR = 1.09). There was a positive and moderate correlation between CSS and IUS scores (r = 0.39, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Our results underline the susceptibility to cyberchondria and intolerance of uncertainty among young adults who used less reliable online health information sources and highlight promoting online health literacy to reduce vulnerabilities and the need for further research on socio-demographic determinants in both mental problems.

Prevalence and Correlates of Dietary and Nutrition Information Seeking Through Various Web-Based and Offline Media Sources Among Japanese Adults: Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

The advent of the internet has changed the landscape of available nutrition information. However, little is known about people's information-seeking behavior toward healthy eating and its potential consequences.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to examine the prevalence and correlates of nutrition information seeking from various web-based and offline media sources.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 5998 Japanese adults aged 20 to 79 years participating in a web-based questionnaire survey (February and March 2023). The dependent variable was the regular use of web-based and offline media as a reliable source of nutrition information. The main independent variables included health literacy, food literacy, and diet quality, which were assessed using validated tools, as well as sociodemographic factors (sex, age, education level, and nutrition- and health-related occupations).

RESULTS

The top source of nutrition information was television (1973/5998, 32.89%), followed by web searches (1333/5998, 22.22%), websites of government and medical manufacturers (997/5998, 16.62%), newspapers (901/5998, 15.02%), books and magazines (697/5998, 11.62%), and video sites (eg, YouTube; 634/5998, 10.57%). Multivariable logistic regression showed that higher health literacy was associated with higher odds of using all the individual sources examined; odds ratios (ORs) for 1-point score increase ranged from 1.27 (95% CI 1.09-1.49) to 1.81 (95% CI 1.57-2.09). By contrast, food literacy was inversely associated with the use of television (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.55-0.77), whereas it was positively associated with the use of websites of government and medical manufacturers (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.62-2.44), books and magazines (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.64-2.66), and video sites (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.19-1.96). Furthermore, diet quality was positively associated with the use of newspapers (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03) and books and magazines (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.04). Being female was associated with using television and books and magazines, whereas being male was associated with using websites of government and medical manufacturers, newspapers, and video sites. Age was positively associated with using newspapers and inversely associated with using websites of government and medical manufacturers and video sites. People with higher education were more likely to refer to websites of government and medical manufacturers and newspapers but less likely to use television and video sites. Dietitians were more likely to use websites of government and medical manufacturers and books and magazines than the general public but less likely to use television and video sites.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified various web-based and offline media sources regularly used by Japanese adults when seeking nutrition information, and their correlates varied widely. A lack of positive associations between the use of the top 2 major sources (television and web searches) and food literacy or diet quality is highlighted. These findings provide useful insights into the potential for developing and disseminating evidence-based health promotion materials.

Patient centeredness, independent health-related Internet use, and online communication with healthcare providers in later life: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To test the links between patient centeredness, independent health-related Internet use, and online communication with healthcare provider in later life.

METHODS

These links were tested on a multivariable level through the prism of the socioemotional selectivity theory and the channel complementarity theory. The data were obtained from the Health Information National Trends Survey (Wave 5, Cycle 4) and analyzed using logistic regression models. The sample included older Internet users (N = 1165).

RESULTS

Low patient centeredness corresponded to a decreased likelihood of communicating with healthcare providers online. No particular patient centeredness component was associated with the studied phenomenon. Online health information seeking corresponded to an increased likelihood of communicating with healthcare providers online.

CONCLUSION

Patient centeredness plays a relatively modest role in explanation of the online communication with healthcare providers in later life. In addition, older adults' online health information seeking behavior and online patient-provider communication seem to complement each other.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The findings can serve public health officials for developing programs aimed at increasing the rates of the online communication with healthcare providers in older population. The findings can also serve healthcare providers in their efforts to improve the quality of (online) communication with their older patients.

Expanding the Health Information National Trends Survey Research Program Internationally to Examine Global Health Communication Trends: Comparing Health Information Seeking Behaviors in the U.S. and Germany

The Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) is a well-established U.S.-based research program administered by the National Cancer Institute to track the public access to and use of health information. This paper introduces a German research initiative, part of the International Studies to Investigate Global Health Information Trends (INSIGHTS) research consortium. This adaptation of the HINTS is important for initiating analyses of global health communication practices and comparing health information seeking behaviors (HISB) across nations to pinpoint potentials and challenges of health information provision and contribute to a deeper understanding of socio-contextual determinants of HISB. First cross-country comparisons revealed that the share of residents seeking for health information is high in the U.S. (80%) and Germany (74%), but different primary sources are used. Whereas a clear majority of U.S. residents chose the Internet to gather health information (74.9%), Germans most often turn to health professionals (48.0%). Socio-structural and health(care)-related predictors were found to contribute to the explanation of HISB in both countries, whereas information-related predictors were only relevant in Germany. The results indicate the need to engage in patient-provider communication to initiate HISB and to improve the access to information for residents with lower socio-economic backgrounds.

A Remote Assessment of Anxiety on Young People: Towards Their Views and Their Different Pet Interaction

The lockdown was imposed in Italy on 9 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Restrictions severely limiting individual freedom were indispensable to protect the population and reduce virus diffusion. Italian people had never before experienced similar restrictions that undoubtedly tested psychological health. After 1 week, we developed an electronic survey to collect demographic data and information on the presence of pets and the type of interaction with them and to administer a self-assessment anxiety test. A total of 3905 subjects, pet owners and non pet owners, filled in the electronic survey; 652 (16.7%, mean age 21.6) of them were young subjects, adolescents, and university students. The study first showed the feasibility and success of the technological solution used, capable of providing, at a distance, structured information on the participants and quantitative data on the psychological condition. Second, it reported that 23.1% of the youths showed anxiety above an attention level during the lockdown, in line with other studies. Third, it indicated, based on the outcome of the self-assessment test, that the pet presence could have a positive effect in mitigating the psychological impact and encourage to continue and deepen these investigations. Fourth, it reported positive feedback from the participants on the procedure, found useful during the pandemic and for the post-pandemic future. The study highlights the importance of investing in these solutions based on mobile technology and useful both for mental health and to deepen the investigation of the impact of the pet presence on the human psychology.

Ethics and Automated Systems in the Health Domain: Design and Submission of a Survey on Rehabilitation and Assistance Robotics to Collect Insiders’ Opinions and Perception

Background: The problem of the relationship between ethics and robotics is very broad, has important implications, and has two large areas of impact: the first is conduct in research, development, and use in general. The second is the implication of the programming of machine ethics. Purpose: Develop and administer a survey of professionals in the health domain collection of their positions on ethics in rehabilitation and assistance robotics. Methods: An electronic survey was designed using Microsoft Forms and submitted to 155 professionals in the health domain (age between 23 and 64 years; 78 males, mean age 43.7, minimum age 24, maximum age 64; 77 females, mean age 44.3, minimum age 23, maximum age 64) using social media. Results and discussion: The outcome returned: (a) the position on ethics training during university studies and in the world of work, (b) the organizational aspects hindered by ethics and those to be perfected in relation to ethics, (c) issues of ethical concern, (d) structured feedback on the usefulness of the methodology along with considerations of open text. Conclusions: An electronic survey methodology has allowed the structured collection of information on positions towards ethics in this sector. Encouraging feedback from the participants suggests the continuation of the study is beneficial. A continuation is expected, expanding the audience of professionals involved and perfecting the survey with the support of scientific companies.

COVID-19 and the Infodemic: An Overview of the Role and Impact of Social Media, the Evolution of Medical Knowledge, and Emerging Problems

The infodemic is an important component of the cyber-risk in regard to the poor and uncontrolled dissemination of information related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to perform a narrative review based on three points of view to allow for an overall picture of this issue. The points of view focused on: (a) the volume of use of social media (a key element of the infodemic) and the position of international health domain bodies; (b) the evolution of scientific production in the life sciences; (c) emerging issues. The research methodology was based on Google and PubMed searches and a qualification process based on a standard checklist and an evaluation of eligibility based on parameters with five score levels applied by two experts (plus one in case of discrepancy). The three points of view stressed the key role of social media as a dissemination tool of the infodemic among citizens. The impact on citizens depends on various social factors and involves indirect (e.g., vaccine avoidance) and direct risks such as mental problems and the risk of suicide. The widespread diffusion of social media, conveyed by mobile technologies, also suggests their use as countermeasures, calibrated based on citizens’ level of both technological and health literacy. Effective and promising countermeasures in this direction are based both on initiatives of contact by apps or SMS and the collection of data based on surveys and finalized to the particular intervention. The review also suggests as further areas of in-depth research: (a) to combat high-level infodemic produced by scientific publications that are not yet official (preprint) or that have undergone peer review with bias/distortion; (b) focusing on the impact of the infodemic considering its spread in different languages.

The COVID-19 Infodemic: Mechanism, Impact, and Counter-Measures—A Review of Reviews

The acceptability of appropriate SARS-CoV-2 pandemic measures including vaccinations is currently being hampered due to significant misinformation all over the globe, also known as the “infodemic” within the pandemic. We asked the following two research questions: (1) What is the current extent of the global infodemic preventing populations from receiving adequate healthcare including COVID-vaccinations? (2) Which are appropriate countermeasures to manage the infodemic in order to guarantee adequate healthcare in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic? Pubmed and Cochrane Library were accessed on 29 October 2021 and searched for reviews and systematic reviews on “COVID-19” and “infodemic”. The literature identified was analyzed with methods of qualitative research focusing on (1) mechanism, (2) impact, and (3) countermeasures to confront the infodemic. The world-wide infodemic is being recognized as a multifaceted problem beyond health and human rights, extending into global political spheres such as societal cohesion and security. The mechanism of the COVID-19 infodemic involves specific factors related to the situation, sender, instrument, and recipient. Although freedom of expression and the right to seek, receive, and impart information through any media is a fundamental human right, the infodemic has a substantial impact on health, another fundamental human right, by causing stress, deception, violence, and harm. Mixed-synergistic pre-impact, trans-impact, and post-impact countermeasures can be taken; the most important is building and maintaining trust.