Help seeking behavior and the Internet: a national survey

Area of Science:

• Health Communication
• Digital Health
• Information Science

Background:

• Online health information significantly impacts consumer attitudes and behaviors.
• Access to reliable online disease information correlates with reduced anxiety, increased self-efficacy, and decreased ambulatory care utilization.
• Internet health information seekers often report existing health concerns, with adults self-identifying as having poorer health and adolescents exhibiting clinical impairment or depressive symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine characteristics associated with seeking healthcare provider or peer support after finding health information online.
• To understand how online health information influences health-related help-seeking behaviors.

Main Methods:

• The study investigated characteristics of individuals seeking help (provider or peer) as a direct result of online health information.
• Analysis focused on differentiating between medical care seekers and support seekers based on their online information-seeking patterns and demographics.

Main Results:

• Medical care seekers utilize online information to aid in diagnosis and to feel more confident in their healthcare provider's advice.
• Support seekers are more likely to be of lower income and to search for information regarding a loved one's health condition, suggesting a caretaker role.
• Online health information drives distinct help-seeking behaviors, either for personal medical attention or for supporting others.

Conclusions:

• Online health information plays a dual role, facilitating personal medical engagement and supporting caregiving roles.
• Interventions should consider the diverse motivations behind online health information seeking.
• Future research should further explore the impact of digital health literacy on these seeking behaviors.