title: A qualitative analysis of how elders seek and disseminate health information.
abstract: This study documents older adults' sources of health information, describes the purposes for health information seeking, and delineates gender and ethnic variation in health information seeking. Sixty-two African American and White adults aged 65 and older completed qualitative interviews describing their use of complementary therapies. Interviews identified how individuals obtained and shared health information. Friends, not family, were the dominant source of health information. Participants ranged from active seekers to passive consumers of health information. Information seeking was common for benign symptoms. More women than men discuss health information with others. Friends are the primary source of health information for rural older adults. There is substantial passivity in the pursuit of health information. Identifying health information sources of rural older adults can support the dissemination of information to those who share it with others.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Family and Community Medicine , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem , North Carolina , USA.
authors.forename: Kathryn Paige
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Altizer
authors.forename: Joseph G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Grzywacz
authors.forename: Sara A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Quandt
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Arcury
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D044465:White People
keywords: African American; health communication; health information seeking; older adults; rural