Online Health Information Needs for Patients with Asthma in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study aims to identify the online asthma informational needs of patients with asthma in Saudi Arabia, explore participants’ previous use of and interest in online asthma health information, and explore factors associated with online information-seeking and needs. A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on similar studies of asthma patients’ education and completed by a convenient sample of 83 asthma patients attending the outpatient pulmonary clinic at the Security Forces Hospital Program in Riyadh. Approximately two-thirds of participants who use the Internet have searched for asthma information online. Thirteen percent of the participants reported that the Internet was their main source of information about asthma, and 33.7% reported that the Internet was their favorite additional source of information about asthma. Seventy-eight percent of the participants were interested in an asthma information Web site in the Arabic language. Employment and higher income were associated with participants who chose the Internet as the favorite source of additional information about asthma (OR 4.5, 95%CI 1.6–12.7) and (OR 4.2, 95%CI 1.4–12.5), respectively, and an education level higher than high school was associated with participants who previously had looked for online information about asthma (OR 11.2, 95%CI 3.8.6–33.5).