A profile of the health information seeker in Chile: Introducing the Chilean health information environments (EIS) survey

Abstract

AbstractIn recent years, many countries have sought to assess health information acquisition among their populations. The Health Information Environments (Entornos de Información de Salud; EIS) survey is the first systematic and representative study that addresses access and use of health information in Chile. Modeled after the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), the survey included measures of general health information acquisition, source trust, and health behaviors, with a special focus on physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and smoking cessation. The EIS survey was applied face‐to‐face in Santiago, the capital of Chile, between December 2020 and February 2021 in a sample of 1411 individuals older than 24 years. In this paper, we present the main sections of the EIS questionnaire, the application procedure, response rates, and sample characteristics. Additionally, we used EIS data to present a profile of health information seekers in Chile.