Santé publique France, French national public health agency, Saint-Maurice, France.
Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, Team HEALTHY, University of Bordeaux, Inserm, Bordeaux, France.
J Med Internet Res. 2021 Apr 14;23(4):e18799. doi: 10.2196/18799.
Given the rapid ongoing progression of the internet and increase in health information available from disparate online sources, it is important to understand how these changes impact online health information-seeking behavior of the population and the way of managing one's health.
This paper aims at describing the evolution of internet use as a source of health information between 2010 and 2017, as well as the characteristics of online health information seekers, topics of interest, sources of information, and trust in retrieved information and potential impact on behavior.
Data from the French nationally representative surveys Health Barometers were used (N=4141 in 2010, 4811 in 2014, and 6255 in 2017). Evolutions over time were assessed using chi-square tests. Associations with sociodemographic characteristics and health status were evaluated using logistic regression models.
The use of the internet as a source of health information rose between 2010 and 2014 (from 37.3% to 67.9%, P<.001) but decreased significantly in 2017 (60.3%, P<.001). Overall, the profile of health information seekers compared with nonseekers did not change over time. They were more likely to be women, to be younger, to have a higher educational level, to have a higher household income, and to be executives. Between 2014 and 2017, the proportion of those who did not pay attention to the source of information significantly increased to reach 39.7% (P<.001). In 2017 as in 2014, general health-related websites remained the first source of information (38.6%) while institutional websites were the third source (8.1%). Most information seekers trusted the information found online in 2010 (more than 80%), with a slight decrease between 2014 and 2017 (P=.048). Among individual characteristics, trust in the information was the main determinant of the way of managing one's health (odds ratio 4.06, 95% CI 3.26-5.06).
After a rapid growth in the internet use for seeking health information in the 2010 to 2014 period, a decrease was recorded in 2017, in parallel with a decrease in trust in the quality and reliability of information found online. These findings underline the need for public health authorities to increase citizens' eHealth literacy and to provide alternative trustworthy sources combining the popularity and accessibility of general health information websites.
鉴于互联网的快速发展以及来自不同在线来源的健康信息的增加，了解这些变化如何影响人们在线获取健康信息的行为以及管理自身健康的方式非常重要。
本文旨在描述 2010 年至 2017 年间互联网作为健康信息来源的使用情况的演变，以及在线健康信息搜索者的特征、感兴趣的主题、信息来源以及对检索信息的信任程度，以及对行为的潜在影响。
使用法国全国代表性调查健康晴雨表的数据（2010 年为 4141 人，2014 年为 4811 人，2017 年为 6255 人）。使用卡方检验评估随时间的变化。使用逻辑回归模型评估与社会人口特征和健康状况的关联。
2010 年至 2014 年间，互联网作为健康信息来源的使用有所增加（从 37.3%增至 67.9%，P<.001），但 2017 年显著下降（60.3%，P<.001）。总体而言，与非搜索者相比，健康信息搜索者的特征在不同时间并未发生变化。他们更有可能是女性、更年轻、受教育程度更高、家庭收入更高、是管理人员。2014 年至 2017 年间，不关注信息来源的比例显著增加至 39.7%（P<.001）。2017 年与 2014 年一样，一般健康相关网站仍然是信息的第一来源（38.6%），而机构网站是第三来源（8.1%）。大多数信息搜索者在 2010 年信任在线找到的信息（超过 80%），2014 年至 2017 年略有下降（P=.048）。在个人特征方面，对信息的信任是管理自身健康方式的主要决定因素（优势比 4.06，95%CI 3.26-5.06）。
在 2010 年至 2014 年间互联网用于获取健康信息的快速增长之后，2017 年记录到下降，同时在线找到的信息质量和可靠性的信任度也有所下降。这些发现强调了公共卫生当局需要提高公民的电子健康素养，并提供结合一般健康信息网站的普及性和可及性的替代可信来源。
