Determinants of Consumer eHealth Information Seeking Behavior

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health
• Consumer Health Behaviors

Background:

• Growing patient engagement with technology for healthcare.
• Limited research on factors driving consumer eHealth behaviors.
• Need to understand determinants of online health information seeking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify associations between consumer eHealth behaviors (specifically internet information seeking) and patient demographics, health status, and Personal Health Information Management (PHIM) use.
• To explore potential social determinants of eHealth engagement.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 115,089 respondents over four years from the National Health Interview Series.
• Statistical examination of relationships between internet health information seeking and demographic, health, and PHIM variables.

Main Results:

• Individuals utilizing PHIM tools (messaging, scheduling, refills, chat) were 7.5 times more likely to search the internet for health information.
• Demographics, health status, and healthcare access emerged as potential social determinants of eHealth behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Personal Health Information Management (PHIM) use is strongly associated with online health information seeking.
• Factors like demographics, health status, and access to care may influence how consumers engage with eHealth resources.