The Health and Retirement Study: Analysis of Associations Between Use of the Internet for Health Information and Use of Health Services at Multiple Time Points.

Hyunju Shim,Elizabeth Zelinski,Jennifer Ailshire,Eileen Crimmins

doi:10.2196/jmir.8203

Abstract

BackgroundThe use of the internet for health information among older people is receiving increasing attention, but how it is associated with chronic health conditions and health service use at concurrent and subsequent time points using nationally representative data is less known.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine whether the use of the internet for health information is associated with health service utilization and whether the association is affected by specific health conditions.MethodsThe study used data collected in a technology module from a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older Americans aged 52 years and above from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study (HRS; N=991). Negative binomial regressions were used to examine the association between use of Web-based health information and the reported health service uses in 2012 and 2014. Analyses included additional covariates adjusting for predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Interactions between the use of the internet for health information and chronic health conditions were also tested.ResultsA total of 48.0% (476/991) of Americans aged 52 years and above reported using Web-based health information. The use of Web-based health information was positively associated with the concurrent reports of doctor visits, but not over 2 years. However, an interaction of using Web-based health information with diabetes showed that users had significantly fewer doctor visits compared with nonusers with diabetes at both times.ConclusionsThe use of the internet for health information was associated with higher health service use at the concurrent time, but not at the subsequent time. The interaction between the use of the internet for health information and diabetes was significant at both time points, which suggests that health-related internet use may be associated with fewer doctor visits for certain chronic health conditions. Results provide some insight into how Web-based health information may provide an alternative health care resource for managing chronic conditions.

Highlights

Using the internet for health information has the potential to be a tool for health management [1]
The use of the internet for health information was associated with higher health service use at the concurrent time, but not at the subsequent time
The interaction between the use of the internet for health information and diabetes was significant at both time points, which suggests that health-related internet use may be associated with fewer doctor visits for certain chronic health conditions

Summary

Introduction

Background Using the internet for health information has the potential to be a tool for health management [1]. Empirical tests of the association between the use of the Web-based health information and the use of medical care from a physician among older adults in the United States have been limited to mostly cross-sectional analyses. Previous literature suggests that the use of the internet for health information is associated with more visits to a doctor among older adults in the United States [6,7]. Because most of these studies among older persons have been largely descriptive with a cross-sectional design, whether the effect of using the internet for health information on health service use is independent or correlated with other concurrent factors in the model remains unclear. The use of the internet for health information among older people is receiving increasing attention, but how it is associated with chronic health conditions and health service use at concurrent and subsequent time points using nationally representative data is less known

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion