title: Health information seeking partially mediated the association between socioeconomic status and self-rated health among Hong Kong Chinese.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Poor self-rated health (SRH) is socially patterned with health communication inequalities, arguably, serving as one mechanisms. This study investigated the effects of health information seeking on SRH, and its mediation effects on disparities in SRH.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted probability-based telephone surveys administered over telephone in 2009, 2010/11 and 2012 to monitor health information use among 4553 Chinese adults in Hong Kong. Frequency of information seeking from television, radio, newspapers/magazines and Internet was dichotomised as <1 time/month and ≥ 1 time/month. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for poor SRH were calculated for health information seeking from different sources and socioeconomic status (education and income). Mediation effects of health information seeking on the association between SES and poor SRH was estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Poor SRH was associated with lower socioeconomic status (P for trend <0.001), and less than monthly health information seeking from newspapers/magazines (aOR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.07-1.42) and Internet (aOR = 1.13, 95% CI 0.98-1.31). Increasing combined frequency of health information seeking from newspapers/magazines and Internet was linearly associated with better SRH (P for trend <0.01). Health information seeking from these two sources contributed 9.2% and 7.9% of the total mediation effects of education and household income on poor SRH, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Poor SRH was associated with lower socioeconomic status, and infrequent health information seeking from newspapers/magazines and Internet among Hong Kong Chinese. Disparities in SRH may be partially mediated by health information seeking from newspapers/magazines and Internet.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Man Ping
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Tai Hing
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Center for Community-Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kasisomayajula
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Viswanath
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Sophia S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D057566:Self Report; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult