title: Identifying social characteristics of health-related information seeker: a gender-specific approach for cancer survivors.
abstract: While health information-seeking behavior as an indicator of health communication of patients including cancer survivors has been researched, few studies have focused on how socioeconomic position and media use combine to influence health-related information seekers. This study examined social characteristics of health information-seeking behavior taking into account an individual's socioeconomic position and their media use in Korea, a developed country. The data for this study came from a survey of 1,010 respondents drawn from a nationally representative sample in the Republic of Korea. We conducted multivariate logistic regression analyses for gender-specific effects. We found that men who reported high household income were one and half times more likely to seek health information than those with low income status. We also found that women who performed Internet searches by computer at home were almost two times more likely to seek health information than those who did not. Similar results were found for men as well. Our analyses revealed that socioeconomic position and media use are associated with health information-seeking behavior by gender. Studies on information seekers may bring us more effective health promotion and relevant intervention for people with chronic conditions including cancer survivors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Science, Dongduk Women's University, Seoul, South Korea E-mail : mins.jung@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Minsoo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D058015:Health Communication / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors; D055815:Young Adult