Song Hayeon, Omori Kikuko, Kim Jihyun, Tenzek Kelly E, Morey Hawkins Jennifer, Lin Wan-Ying, Kim Yong-Chan, Jung Joo-Young
Gachon University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Republic Of Korea.
J Med Internet Res. 2016 Mar 14;18(3):e25. doi: 10.2196/jmir.4193.
The Internet has increasingly become a popular source of health information by connecting individuals with health content, experts, and support. More and more, individuals turn to social media and Internet sites to share health information and experiences. Although online health information seeking occurs worldwide, limited empirical studies exist examining cross-cultural differences in perceptions about user-generated, experience-based information compared to expertise-based information sources.
To investigate if cultural variations exist in patterns of online health information seeking, specifically in perceptions of online health information sources. It was hypothesized that Koreans and Hongkongers, compared to Americans, would be more likely to trust and use experience-based knowledge shared in social Internet sites, such as social media and online support groups. Conversely, Americans, compared to Koreans and Hongkongers, would value expertise-based knowledge prepared and approved by doctors or professional health providers more.
Survey questionnaires were developed in English first and then translated into Korean and Chinese. The back-translation method ensured the standardization of questions. Surveys were administered using a standardized recruitment strategy and data collection methods.
A total of 826 participants living in metropolitan areas from the United States (n=301), Korea (n=179), and Hong Kong (n=337) participated in the study. We found significant cultural differences in information processing preferences for online health information. A planned contrast test revealed that Koreans and Hongkongers showed more trust in experience-based health information sources (blogs: t451.50=11.21, P<.001; online support group: t455.71=9.30, P<.001; social networking sites [SNS]: t466.75=11.36, P<.001) and also reported using blogs (t515.31=6.67, P<.001) and SNS (t529.22=4.51, P<.001) more frequently than Americans. Americans showed a stronger preference for using expertise-based information sources (eg, WebMD and CDC) compared to Koreans and Hongkongers (t360.02=3.01, P=.003). Trust in expertise-based information sources was universal, demonstrating no cultural differences (Brown-Forsythe F2,654=1.82, P=.16). Culture also contributed significantly to differences in searching information on behalf of family members (t480.38=5.99, P<.001) as well as to the goals of information searching.
This research found significant cultural differences in information processing preferences for online health information. Further discussion is included regarding effective communication strategies in providing quality health information.
互联网通过将个人与健康内容、专家及支持资源相连接，日益成为健康信息的热门来源。越来越多的人转向社交媒体和网站来分享健康信息与经历。尽管在线获取健康信息在全球范围内都有发生，但针对基于用户生成的、经验性信息与基于专业知识的信息来源在认知上的跨文化差异，实证研究却很有限。
调查在线健康信息搜索模式中是否存在文化差异，特别是对在线健康信息来源的认知差异。研究假设，与美国人相比，韩国人和香港人更有可能信任并使用在社交网站（如社交媒体和在线支持小组）上分享的经验性知识。相反，与韩国人和香港人相比，美国人会更看重由医生或专业健康提供者准备并认可的基于专业知识的信息。
调查问卷首先用英文编写，然后翻译成韩文和中文。回译法确保了问题的标准化。调查采用标准化的招募策略和数据收集方法进行。
共有826名居住在大城市地区的参与者，分别来自美国（n = 301）、韩国（n = 179）和中国香港（n = 337）参与了这项研究。我们发现，在处理在线健康信息的偏好方面存在显著的文化差异。一项计划对比测试显示，韩国人和香港人对基于经验的健康信息来源表现出更多信任（博客：t451.50 = 11.21，P <.001；在线支持小组：t455.71 = 9.30，P <.001；社交网站[SNS]：t466.75 = 11.36，P <.001），并且报告使用博客（t515.31 = 6.67，P <.001）和SNS（t529.22 = 4.51，P <.001）的频率高于美国人。与韩国人和香港人相比，美国人对使用基于专业知识的信息来源（如WebMD和疾病控制与预防中心）表现出更强的偏好（t360.02 = 3.01，P =.
