Important Source Of Health Information Research Articles

Media coverage of cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine: implications for geographic health inequities.

To describe the content of newspaper articles about cervical cancer and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine published in Appalachia and identify potential differences in coverage as compared to the content of newspaper articles published in non-Appalachia Ohio. Individuals rely on media as an important source of health information. Inadequate coverage of health issues may reinforce health inequities such as the elevated cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates in Appalachia Ohio. A content analysis was conducted of all newspaper articles about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine published in Appalachia and non-Appalachia Ohio during 2006. A total of 121 published newspaper articles (42 in Appalachia and 79 in non-Appalachia) about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine were identified. Articles published in Appalachia Ohio were significantly less likely than articles published in non-Appalachia Ohio to provide information about the threat of cervical cancer and the efficacy of the HPV vaccine. Specifically, few articles published in Appalachia included information about the ability of the vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, the cost of the vaccine and the availability of assistance programmes for the un- and underinsured. Newspaper articles printed in the Appalachia region lacked vital information that could help promote uptake of the HPV vaccine. Health educators and healthcare providers should be aware that women from underserved geographic regions like Appalachia may have greater information needs regarding their risk of cervical cancer and the potential benefits of the HPV vaccine as compared to the general patient population.

Quality Assurance of Nursing Web Sites

This article presents a study that evaluated the physical accessibility, readability, and usability of Spanish nursing Web sites and discusses the quality assurance issues raised, which are relevant to the wider nursing community. The Internet is recognized as an important source of health information for both nurses and the general public. Although it makes health-related information universally available, the wide variation in the overall quality of health Web sites is problematic. This raises many questions for the nursing profession: about what constitutes a good-quality Web site, about the nature of the information that nurses are finding and using to support their professional education, research, and clinical practice, and about the impact that Internet information ultimately has on health interactions and nursing care. The process of completing this small study showed that it is possible to usefully assess dimensions of Web site quality and suggested that it may be feasible to develop tools to help nurses evaluate national and international nursing Web sites. More research is needed to understand how nurses use the Internet to support their everyday professional practices, but the development and application of international Web site quality assurance tools may be important for maintaining professional nursing standards in the Internet age.

Health Information-Seeking in the Digital Age

Objective: The authors examined the sources of health information among first-year university students and whether the predictors of information-seeking varied by information source. Participants: First-year students in a required course at a midwestern public university were eligible to participate, and 82% (n = 1,060) completed the study. Methods: Students completed a survey questionnaire regarding information-seeking behaviors and Internet uses in domains including health. The authors used regression analyses to examine predictors of source-specific health information-seeking. Results: Young women are much more likely than young men to seek health information. The characteristics associated with looking online for health information are different than those for using other information sources, and students who look online for health information also report greater use of other information sources. Conclusions: Although the Internet is an important source of health information for students, health professionals should be aware that not all students equally utilize this resource.

Race, Ethnicity, Language, Social Class, and Health Communication Inequalities: A Nationally-Representative Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundWhile mass media communications can be an important source of health information, there are substantial social disparities in health knowledge that may be related to media use. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the use of cancer-related health communications is patterned by race, ethnicity, language, and social class.Methodology/Principal FindingsIn a nationally-representative cross-sectional telephone survey, 5,187 U.S. adults provided information about demographic characteristics, cancer information seeking, and attention to and trust in health information from television, radio, newspaper, magazines, and the Internet. Cancer information seeking was lowest among Spanish-speaking Hispanics (odds ratio: 0.42; 95% confidence interval: 0.28–0.63) compared to non-Hispanic whites. Spanish-speaking Hispanics were more likely than non-Hispanic whites to pay attention to (odds ratio: 3.10; 95% confidence interval: 2.07–4.66) and trust (odds ratio: 2.61; 95% confidence interval: 1.53–4.47) health messages from the radio. Non-Hispanic blacks were more likely than non-Hispanic whites to pay attention to (odds ratio: 2.39; 95% confidence interval: 1.88–3.04) and trust (odds ratio: 2.16; 95% confidence interval: 1.61–2.90) health messages on television. Those who were college graduates tended to pay more attention to health information from newspapers (odds ratio: 1.98; 95% confidence interval: 1.42–2.75), magazines (odds ratio: 1.86; 95% confidence interval: 1.32–2.60), and the Internet (odds ratio: 4.74; 95% confidence interval: 2.70–8.31) and had less trust in cancer-related health information from television (odds ratio: 0.44; 95% confidence interval: 0.32–0.62) and radio (odds ratio: 0.54; 95% confidence interval: 0.34–0.86) compared to those who were not high school graduates.Conclusions/SignificanceHealth media use is patterned by race, ethnicity, language and social class. Providing greater access to and enhancing the quality of health media by taking into account factors associated with social determinants may contribute to addressing social disparities in health.

Palliative Care Online: A Pilot Study on a Pancreatic Cancer Website (722)

1.Discuss how the Internet is being used increasingly for health information and support.2.Discuss the methodology and findings from a pilot study of having a palliative care nurse practitioner available to answer questions on a leading pancreatic cancer website.3.Discuss the opportunity for further study on providing aspects of palliative care online. Background. Patients with pancreatic cancer and their families could benefit from palliative care services but may not have access to them. An emerging option is the Internet, which is becoming an important source of health information and a link between patients, families, and healthcare providers. Research objectives. (1) Determine if patients and their families would use a webpage where they could access a palliative care nurse practitioner (PCNP). (2) Identify the palliative care needs of patients and families who accessed that Webpage. (3) Determine the helpfulness of the webpage/PCNP. Methods. Descriptive quantitative and qualitative Results. The PCNP webpage was visited 650 times by 395 unique individuals over an 8-week study period. Forty-eight participants posted a total of 55 questions or sent e-mails to the PCNP. The majority of questions (66%) fell into one of the eight domains of palliative care. Of these, most of the questions, 42%, asked about physical aspects of pancreatic cancer with the next largest domain, 11%, being psychological concerns about the illness. The other third of questions had to do with non-palliative aspects of pancreatic cancer or its treatment. Twenty participants (5% of total visitors) completed an online survey. Although statistical significance was not achieved, most survey respondents found the PCNP website helpful. It was considered easy to use and participants found information and support there and recommended that the PCNP page be an on-going resource. Conclusion. The Internet can be used to offer aspects of palliative care such as information, support and advice to patients and families dealing with a life-threatening illness. Implications for research, policy, or practice. Further research is needed in this evolving area.

How Patients With Schizophrenia Use the Internet: Qualitative Study

Background The Internet is an important source of health information for people with psychiatric conditions. Little is known about the way patients with schizophrenia use the Internet when it comes to issues related to their illness. Data on their specific needs, difficulties, and the consequences related to Internet use are lacking.Objective Our objective was to investigate the nature and subjective consequences of health-related Internet use among patients with schizophrenia.Methods In all, 26 individual semistructured interviews were conducted and analyzed qualitatively in groups of 4 until theoretical saturation was achieved.Results Study results suggest that the Internet is an influential source of illness-related information for patients with schizophrenia. Many aspects of their behavior around the Internet resemble those of individuals not afflicted by mental illness. Importantly, problems specific to patients with schizophrenia were stimulus overflow, an inability to deal with the abundance of information, difficulties with concentration, lack of energy, paranoid ideas, symptom provocation, and the need to distance themselves from illness-related topics as part of the recovery process. Internet information was subjectively perceived as having the potential to significantly change patients’ attitudes toward medication and their relationships with doctors.Conclusions These findings provide insight into how individuals with schizophrenia handle illness-related Internet information. The data could contribute to the continuous development of Internet-based interventions and offer novel approaches to optimizing traditional treatment options.

Cancer Information Disparities Between U.S.- and Foreign-Born Populations

Immigrant health is an important component of American public health. But relatively little is known about immigrants' cancer information use. Using the 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) data, this study examined potential disparities between foreign-born (n = 563) and U.S.-born (n = 4,830) populations in their access to and experience with cancer information. Logistic regressions showed that foreign-born Hispanics were less likely than the U.S.-born to have ever sought cancer information (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = .51). Foreign-born individuals overall were also less likely to have had somebody else look for cancer information for them (OR = .66). Compared with the U.S.-born, foreign-born individuals in general faced greater obstacles during the process of cancer information seeking (ORs = 1.98–2.27). They were also less trusting of some important sources of health information (ORs = .50–.64), a pattern that was particularly pronounced among Hispanics (ORs = .20–.43). Implications of these disparities were explored through multiple linear regressions that revealed negative associations between cancer information use and undesirable cancer beliefs.

Health Content in Chinese Newspapers

Newspapers are one of the most important sources of health information for the public in China, yet little is known about the coverage of health issues in Chinese newspapers. Using the theories of agenda setting and framing, we explored research questions such as what health-related topics were covered and how they were covered in Chinese newspapers. This study used a sample of two constructed weeks in 2007 of one national and five leading local newspapers of the five most populated cities in China: 558 health-related articles were identified. It was found that certain diseases and risk factors were underreported as compared with their actual morbidity and mortality rates in China. Most of the health reporting was framed in a non-negative frame. It was also found that causes and preventions of diseases were more likely to be attributed to the individual than to the society. As one of the first comprehensive content analyses on the coverage of health-related issues in China, this study provides health care professionals and policymakers a broad picture of health information available to the public in Chinese newspapers.

Pancreatic cancer in the media: the Swayze shift

We wonder how much reportage of pancreatic cancer exists in the media and what influences this coverage. We believe that the pancreas itself is not fully appreciated by the general population and most knowledge about it comes from patient information, once the organ has become diseased. Pancreatic cancer thankfully affects a small proportion of the population (either directly or indirectly), but has a poor 5-year survival outcome. This lack of insight into the pancreas, coupled with a relatively low incidence of malignancy means that pancreatic cancer does not have as high profile as other tumours (for example, breast, cervical and lung). One potential factor for the raised awareness of certain malignancies may relate to celebrities; for example, Kylie Minogue and breast cancer and Jade Goody and cervical cancer. The diseases of both of these celebrities were played out in the media and there were associated increases in screening of disease in the general population.1 The very mention of these cancers in the media may have improved public education and awareness. It is possible that the media is one of the most important health information sources available to the general population and, therefore, we are keen to explore how health professionals can influence this resource.2 Patrick Swayze was a popular actor who has recently fought a public battle with pancreatic cancer. We decided to assess the number of articles that existed around the time of his illness to see if he had an influence in the reportage of the disease. The ten most read daily UK newspapers were assessed for the number of articles mentioning pancreatic cancer over a 24-month period, via their online search facilities.3 This period overlapped the dates of Patrick Swayze's illness (January 2008 to September 2009). A total of 550 articles were reported over this 24-month period, averaging 23 per month. During this period, there were three key events related to Patrick Swayze: March 2008 (diagnosis made public), 38 articles; January 2009 (he developed pneumonia), 78 articles; and September 2009 (he died), 64 articles. The total number of articles relating to him and pancreatic cancer was 180 (i.e. one-third of total reportage). Reportage of pancreatic cancer by some newspapers is heavily dependent on this celebrity (95% or more of the articles in three tabloid newspapers related directly to Patrick Swayze). We believe that health professionals could work in conjunction with public health officials and journalists to form a partnership to ensure a co-ordinated approach in how medical information is presented to the print media. This collaboration would ensure better dissemination of patient education to the population and hopefully enhance the background knowledge of medical conditions.4 This new strategy would exist in conjunction with the presentation of medical information by traditional means (consultations and patient information leaflets) and utilise a newspaper's own writing style and format to ensure optimal uptake by readership.5

Examination of Media Channels and Types as Health Information Sources for Adolescents: Comparisons for Black/White, Male/Female, Urban/Rural

Using Primary Socialization Theory, this survey of 452 young people indicates their most reported health learning is from television, followed by radio, print, Internet, and social networking media. Findings suggest middle school students do not differentiate among advertising, entertainment, and news content when evaluating information. Television, radio, and the Internet were more important health information sources for African American young teens than other ethnicities. Girls report highest learning from radio, and are significantly more likely than boys to gather health information from broadcast news and entertainment. Internet and online social media are more important for rural adolescents than urban ones.

Healthcare knowledge transfer through a web 2.0 portal: an Austrian approach

The internet has become an important source of health information. However, online information can be misleading. Since it is not always easy for patients to estimate the reliability of web content, a portal supervised by medical experts can lead to more credibility. In this paper, we present a study conducted in Austria that investigates the patients' need for a web 2.0 knowledge transfer portal providing high-quality information to patients and we explain the implementation of a web 2.0 knowledge transfer portal prototype. Besides, the doctors' appraisals concerning their patients' demands and their willingness to participate in such a portal are investigated.

Use of the internet for health purposes: trends in Norway 2000–2010

The aim of this work is to study the 10 year trends in the use and projected use of internet for health purposes in Norway. This includes more detailed analyses of changes in latter years, current uses, valuation as source of health information, reported effects and projected developments. Surveys on the use of the internet for health purposes have been conducted in Norway in the years 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007. Representative samples were drawn from the population, and interviews were conducted by poll agencies using telephone (CATI). Internet use for health purposes in the Norwegian population has increased dramatically over the last 7 years from 19% in 2000 to 67% in 2007. If this trend continues, we estimate that 84% of the Norwegian population will be using internet for health purposes by the year 2010. Reading about health or illness is the most common activity, and the rated importance of the internet as a source of health information is increasing. The internet is also used more for ordering medicines and other health-related products. Forty-four per cent of those having used the internet for health purposes reported having searched for lifestyle-related information, and 40% reported having felt inspired to change health behaviour. The internet is an important source of health information, which is likely to increase in importance in the years to come. This study further underlines the potential of internet use for health promoting purposes, as well as the potential for exacerbating social disparities in health.

59: Multicenter Study of Internet Use by Emergency Department Patients in Boston

The Internet is an important source of health information. We sought to examine emergency department patients' Internet use for health information and its relation with ED utilization. We also sought to determine patients' willingness to use the Internet for participation in future research.

Internet-based lifestyle advice for heartburn patients

IntroductionThe internet has become an increasingly important source of health information for patients. Numerous health-related websites give advice on lifestyle changes for the prevention or treatment of heartburn symptoms. We systematically identified the most common recommendations made on the internet and assessed their validity. MethodologyWe searched for the term “heartburn” on common search engines. We included the first 10 results for each search engine and compiled the lifestyle advice. The recommendations were compared with results from two reviews on the effect of lifestyle changes on GERD symptoms and two guidelines. ResultsWe included 16 websites that provided information on heartburn. All of these websites give lifestyle advice for heartburn, most of them recommending weight management, eating smaller portions, smoking cessation, and not lying down after meals. Suggestions for concrete dietary changes included a less fatty diet and the avoidance of citrus fruits, coffee, and tea. According to current knowledge the evidence for most of the recommendations is weak to nonexistent. DiscussionLifestyle advice for heartburn prevention is very common on health-related websites, though the evidence for these recommendations is insufficient. However, it may be that the advice is based on empirical therapy that has led to relief of symptoms in some patients.

Exploring Women’s Perceptions About Their Role in Supporting Partners’ and Sons’ Reproductive Health Care

Women serve as important health information sources for young men. No previous study has explored women's perceptions about this role related to young men's sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care. Twenty African American women recruited from two clinics participated in three focus groups to explore perceptions to engage young men in SRH care. Themes were identified that may facilitate and/or hinder women to engage young men in SRH care: 1) communication/actions to provide support; 2) challenges in providing support; 3) traditional gender role perceptions and other access barriers; and 4) motivation, influence and control. Participants were interested and willing to support young men's SRH including sharing information about clinics (95%), making appointments (90%), going to visits together (90%), and having joint appointments (67%). Findings provide a foundation for programs interested to engage women as health promotion agents to improve young men's SRH care access. Future efforts should explore the generalizability of study findings.

Trends of internet use for health matters in Portugal: 2005-2007

This paper discusses trends of Internet use for health or illness matters in Portugal. It is based on two waves of the WHO/Europe eHealth Consumer Trends Survey that took place in 2005 and 2007. The investigation involves 3001 complete interviews to individuals between 15 and 80 years old. Results show that the percentage of the Portuguese population reporting having used the Internet for health or illness matters has increased in average 9.1% (IC 95%, 5.5-12.6) in the 18 months that mediate the two surveys. The analysis by geographical region shows that there are no statistically significant differences between the five studied regions. The analysis by gender and age shows that the difference between men and women is diminishing but detects important exceptions, namely, a Sharp predominance of women in the group of individuals aged 15-34 years old that use the Internet for health or illness matters and the prevalence of men in the age levels 45-54 and 65-80 years old. The analysis by level of education completed show that the use is particularly high among those with complete higher education studies, with an increase of 8.2% (IC 95%, -.6-17.0) in the period under analysis. However, a significant increase has been observed among the Portuguese with before A-level studies, particularly when considering the group of Internet users for health purposes, where it has raised from four users in each ten individuals in 2005 to six users in each ten individuals in 2007. Reading health Web sites is the health related activity that more Portuguese attracts to the Internet but in the restricted group of Internet health users <<communicating with an unknown health professional never met face to face>> is the activity with higher positive variation in the period (9.2%, IC 95%, 5.3-13.2). Health professionals are still considered as the most important source of health information but their perceived importance has decreased 10% (IC 95%, -12.6, -7.6) between 2005 and 2007, the higher negative variation in this period. Family, friends and colleagues have registered the higher positive variation. In 2007, the Internet was rated as the most important source of health information by those using the Internet for health or illness purposes. In Portugal, the Internet assumes an increasingly important role as a source of health information. Moreover, it seems it is being promoting equitable access to health information. Increasingly challenging situations are expected during the medical consultation.

Using Internet Searches for Influenza Surveillance

The Internet is an important source of health information. Thus, the frequency of Internet searches may provide information regarding infectious disease activity. As an example, we examined the relationship between searches for influenza and actual influenza occurrence. Using search queries from the Yahoo! search engine ( http://search.yahoo.com ) from March 2004 through May 2008, we counted daily unique queries originating in the United States that contained influenza-related search terms. Counts were divided by the total number of searches, and the resulting daily fraction of searches was averaged over the week. We estimated linear models, using searches with 1-10-week lead times as explanatory variables to predict the percentage of cultures positive for influenza and deaths attributable to pneumonia and influenza in the United States. With use of the frequency of searches, our models predicted an increase in cultures positive for influenza 1-3 weeks in advance of when they occurred (P < .001), and similar models predicted an increase in mortality attributable to pneumonia and influenza up to 5 weeks in advance (P < .001). Search-term surveillance may provide an additional tool for disease surveillance.

EHealth Trends in Europe 2005-2007: A Population-Based Survey

BackgroundIn the last decade, the number of Internet users worldwide has dramatically increased. People are using the Internet for various health-related purposes. It is important to monitor such use as it may have an impact on the individual’s health and behavior, patient-practitioner roles, and on general health care provision.Objectives This study investigates trends and patterns of European health-related Internet use over a period of 18 months. The main study objective was to estimate the change in the proportion of the population using the Internet for health purposes, and the importance of the Internet as a source of health information compared to more traditional sources.Methods The survey data were collected through computer-assisted telephone interviews. A representative sample (N = 14,956) from seven European countries has been used: Denmark, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Norway, Poland, and Portugal. The European eHealth Consumer Trends Survey was first conducted in October-November 2005 and repeated in April-May 2007. In addition to providing background information, respondents were asked to rate the importance of various sources of health information. They were also queried as to the frequency of different online activities related to health and illness and the effects of such use on their disposition.Results The percentage of the population that has used the Internet for health purposes increased from an estimated 42.3% (95% CI [Confidence Interval] 41.3 - 43.3) in 2005 to an estimated 52.2% (95% CI 51.3 - 53.2) in 2007. Significant growth in the use of the Internet for health purposes was found in all the seven countries. Young women are the most active Internet health users. The importance of the Internet as a source of health information has increased. In 2007, the Internet was perceived as an important source of health information by an estimated 46.8% (95% CI 45.7 - 47.9) of the population, a significant increase of 6.5 % (95% CI 4.9 - 8.1) from 2005. The importance of all the traditional health information channels has either decreased or remained the same. An estimated 22.7% (95% CI 21.7 - 23.6) are using it for more interactive services than just reading health information.Conclusion The Internet is increasingly being used as a source of health information by the European population, and its perceived importance is rising. Use of the Internet for health purposes is growing in all age groups and for both men and women, with especially strong growth among young women. We see that experienced Internet health users are also using the Internet as an active communication channel, both for reaching health professionals and for communicating with peers.

Understanding the impact of family caregiver cancer literacy on patient health outcomes

Objective Family caregivers play a significant role in the diagnosis, treatment, and recovery of individuals with cancer. This position paper reviews and links the research on family caregiving and health information with the importance of cancer literacy. Method Review of literature obtained through searching in Academic Search Premier, EBSCO, Communication and Mass Media Complete, PsychArticles, PsycInfo, and Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition library databases. Results Family members are important sources of health information, informal caregivers who learn and enact medical procedures, and influential aspects of patients’ healthcare and treatment decision-making, but are not seriously considered by healthcare practitioners or researchers in terms of assessing and improving health literacy. Further, very few studies have directly examined or acknowledged the potential importance of family caregiver health literacy. Conclusion The extent to which family caregivers can comprehend the health information they receive along with the patient is crucial for the patient to achieve the most successful health outcome. Practice implications To acknowledge the impact that family caregiver health literacy could have on patient health outcomes, targeted practical recommendations for understanding family caregiver health literacy in the cancer context are proposed: (1) family member health literacy should be assessed; (2) close relational partners should be trained as peer health educators; (3) written cancer information should be provided directly to family caregivers; (4) health interactions between family caregivers and patients should be improved; (5) theoretical perspectives into the understanding of family caregiver health literacy should be integrated into practice; and (6) patient and family caregiver health literacy should be improved.

Health Content in Local Television News

Local television news is an important source of health information for the public. Yet little is known about coverage of health issues on local television newscasts. This study examined 1,863 news stories that aired on 4 English-language channels and 1 Spanish channel in 7 U.S. markets during a composite week in 2000. About 10% of news stories focused on health topics. Specific illnesses/diseases and healthy living issues received the most frequent coverage. Health news stories generally were less than 1 min long. Most health news stories were neutral in tone. Few offered contrasting viewpoints or follow-up information. Many stories were likely to require a 10th grade education to be understood. Implications for health professionals, policy makers, and health communication researchers are discussed.