The impact of mass media health communication on health decision-making and medical advice-seeking behavior of u.s. Hispanic population.
Mass media health communication has enormous potential to drastically alter how health-related information is disseminated and obtained by different populations. However, there is little evidence regarding the influence of media channels on health decision-making and medical advice-seeking behaviors among the Hispanic population. The Pew 2007 Hispanic Healthcare Survey was used to test the hypothesis that the amount of mass media health communication (i.e., quantity of media-based health information received) is more likely to influence Hispanic adults' health decision-making and medical advice-seeking behavior compared to health literacy and language proficiency variables. Results indicated that quantity of media-based health information is positively associated with health decision-making and medical advice-seeking behavior above and beyond the influence of health literacy and English and Spanish language proficiency. In a context where physician-patient dynamics are increasingly shifting from a passive patient role model to a more active patient role model, media-based health information can serve as an influential cue to action, prompting Hispanic individuals to make certain health-related decisions and to seek more health advice and information from a health provider. Study implications are discussed.
School of International Service Center on Health, Risk, and Society, American University, USA. dejesus@american.edu
Maria
M
De Jesus
D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D058015:Health Communication; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media