title: Class, race, ethnicity and information needs in post-treatment cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Health information-seeking behaviors (HISBs) are associated with active participation in cancer care decisions which, in turn, may positively impact health outcomes. The goal of this study was to develop a taxonomy of topics for which post-treatment cancer patients sought information, and to explore HISB patterns by sociodemographic factors and cancer type.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined how health information seeking is associated with social determinants in a survey of 521 post-treatment cancer patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four major topics of interest were found: disease/treatment, self-care management, health services, and work/finance. Assessment of the relationship between social determinants and these four topics showed associations for (1) HISBs on disease/treatment topics decreased with age and increased with education; (2) HISBs on self-care management increased with education and varied by cancer type; (3) HISBs on health services increased with education; and (4) HISBs on work/finance decreased with age and wealth, but increased with debt.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate one pathway through which social determinants may drive communication inequalities, which may result in increased disparities in health outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further exploration of the relationship between social determinants and information-seeking among post-treatment cancer patients may contribute to the development of strategies to reduce health disparities.
authors.affiliation: Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA. ezequiel_galarce@dfci.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Ezequiel M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Galarce
authors.forename: Shoba
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramanadhan
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weeks
authors.forename: Eric C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Stacy W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Kasisomayajula
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Viswanath
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D007255:Information Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult