Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of Lithuanian adults aged 20-64 years toward the reasons for accessing health information and to determine the main health information sources and their relation to sociodemographic factors. The data for this study were gathered in 2008 within the framework of the International Project Finbalt Health Monitor evaluating health behavior in a Lithuanian adult population. More than half of respondents searched for health information during the last year. Men were 2.7 times more likely to trust friends and family as a health information source compared with women. For each 1-year increase in age, the odds of using friends and family, and the Internet as the main sources of health information decreased, while the odds of using people with the same condition and different means of media increased. Marital status was associated with greater trust in health professionals and the Internet as health information sources. Higher education was positively associated with more frequent reporting courses and lectures, and the Internet as the sources of health information, while those with lower education preferred television and radio. This study revealed the characteristics of the "risk group" in terms of the sources of health information that people, assigned to it, tend to use, and it is especially important when providing health information.
Highlights
Health information is a major component of health promotion [1]
The results showed that 75% of health information seekers reported using the Internet to access information about a loved one’s health or Medicina (Kaunas) 2012;48(7)
The respondents were asked about their use of different health information sources with the following question: “Usually where are you looking for information about health?” The possible answers were as follows: 1) friends and family; 2) colleagues and neighbors; 3) a physician, a nurse, a pharmacist, and other health professionals; 4) people with the same medical condition; 5) television; 6) radio; 7) books; 8) pamphlets and brochures; 9) newspapers and magazines; 10) courses and lectures; 11) the Internet; and 12) other sources
Summary
The definition of health information itself suggests that health information increases the awareness and favorably influences attitudes and knowledge related to the improvement of health on a personal or community basis [2]. Lambert and Loiselle [3] have reported that the sociodemographic characteristics of individuals influence how much information is sought, what sources are used, and how the information is obtained. Younger educated individuals, especially women, are often reported to be active information seekers [4]. When asked about the main source of information about health, a large proportion of European Union (EU) citizens mentioned health professionals with one-fifth of respondents reporting that television was their main source of information about health [7]. In the United States, Liccardione et al (2000) using the data from
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