title: Digital divide 2.0: the role of social networking sites in seeking health information online from a longitudinal perspective.
abstract: Adopting a longitudinal angle, this study analyzed data from the Pew Internet's Health Tracking Survey in 2006, 2008, and 2010 to identify potential communication inequalities in social networking site use. Results showed that with the growing role of social networking site use in predicting people's likelihood of seeking health information online, the socioeconomic and demographic factors that contributed to the disparities in social networking site use could also lead to disparities in seeking health information online. Also, results indicated that people are more likely to seek heath-related information online if they or their close family or friends have a chronic disease situation.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Communication Studies , The University of Virginia's College at Wise , Wise , Virginia , USA.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Wenjing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D005260:Female; D058015:Health Communication / Q000379:methods*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060756:Social Networking; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult