Public Trust in Different Sources of Information: Gaps in Rural Residents and Cancer Patients

Area of Science:

• Health Communication
• Health Disparities
• Cancer Care

Background:

• Understanding health information-seeking behavior is vital for effective cancer interventions.
• Rural-urban differences in trust towards health information sources require investigation.
• Cancer status (no cancer, newly diagnosed, advanced) may influence information trust.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate rural-urban disparities in trust for various health information sources.
• To examine how trust in information sources differs based on cancer status.
• To inform interventions aimed at improving health information access for cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 5775 responses from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey®.
• Classification of eight information sources into structured, less structured, and semi-structured domains.
• Weighted linear regression models to assess trust levels by residency and cancer status, controlling for demographics.

Main Results:

• Urban residents trust structured sources (e.g., doctors, government) more than rural residents.
• Rural residents exhibit higher trust in less structured sources (e.g., family, religion).
• Cancer patients in urban areas show increased trust in doctors; rural cancer patients trust charities and scientists less.

Conclusions:

• Newly diagnosed rural cancer patients demonstrate lower trust in structured information sources.
• Further research on misinformation in less structured sources is critical for rural cancer patients.
• Addressing trust disparities is essential to prevent delays in care for vulnerable cancer populations.