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Cited by 466Health Literacy and Information AccessibilityInformation Retrieval and Search BehaviorHealth, Technology, Consumer Behavior

Help seeking behavior and the Internet: A national survey

Ybarra, Michele L., Suman, Michael·2006·International Journal of Medical Informatics
DOI 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2005.07.029
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Abstract

Health-related websites have the potential to powerfully influence the attitudes and behavior of consumers. Access to reliable disease information online has been linked to reduced anxiety, increased feelings of self-efficacy, and decreases in utilization of ambulatory care. Studies report that Internet health information seekers are more likely to have health concerns; adult seekers are more likely to rate themselves as having poor health status and adolescent seekers are more likely to demonstrate clinical impairment or depressive symptomatology compared to non-seekers. Although more and more Americans are using the Internet for healthcare information, little is known about how this information affects their health behaviors. The current study extends the literature by examining characteristics associated with help seeking, either from a healthcare provider or from peers, as a direct result of health information found online. Medical care seekers appear to be using the Internet to enhance their medical care; they report using the information online to diagnose a problem and feel more comfortable about their health provider's advice given the information found on the Internet. Support seekers tend to be of slightly lower income compared to non-support seekers. They are also significantly more likely to have searched for information about a loved one's medical or health condition, signaling that many of these consumers may be caretakers.

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  • Health blogging communities could act as conduits for disseminating evidence-based information.

    “Health blogging communities could act as conduits for disseminating evidence-based information as well.43”

    From Diagnosis Blog: Checking Up on Health Blogs in the Blogosphere (2010) · cites this paper as [43]

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Authors
Ybarra, M. L., & Suman, M.
Affiliations
University of Southern California (US)
Corresponding author
Ybarra, Michele L.
ORCID
Ybarra, Michele L.
Venue
International Journal of Medical Informatics
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2006-01
Volume
75
Issue
1
Pages
29-41
ISSN
1386-5056 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2005.07.029
OpenAlex
W2053411346
Cited by
466
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 36 · 2012: 19
FWCI
30.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • International Journal of Medical Informatics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (MH19545, T32MH019545)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Information Retrieval and Search Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Health Information Management › Health, Technology, Consumer Behavior
Keywords
help-seeking, health information seeking, online health information, medical care seeking, health behavior, income, health status, depressive symptoms
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Child, Data Collection, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, United States, Internet, Access to Information

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