Is Health Literacy Associated with Health-Related Information Seeking Behavior Using Technology? (Preprint)
BACKGROUND None. OBJECTIVE To investigate health-related information-seeking using the Internet and its relationship with health literacy, access to technology, and socio-demographic characteristics. METHODS Data come from 614 adults in Minnesota who answered a survey on health literacy, access to technology, and health-related information-seeking Internet use. We used a cross-sectional, multivariate regression design to assess the relationship between health-related information-seeking on the Internet and health literacy and access to technology, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS Better health literacy and greater access to technological devices were both associated with more health-related information-seeking behavior on the Internet, after adjusting for all other socio-demographic characteristics. Possession of a graduate degree, female gender, poor health, participation in social groups, and having an annual health exam were all associated with online health-related information-seeking as well. CONCLUSIONS Higher health literacy and better access to technology are associated with more online health-related information-seeking. Online health-related information-seeking also varies by socio-demographic characteristics. Practice Implications: Access to online health-related information is not uniformly distributed throughout the population, which may exacerbate disparities in health and healthcare. Research, policy, and practice attention are needed to address disparities in access to health information, as well as to ensure the quality of that information.