Business School of Central South University, Changsha, China.
Hunan University of Technology and Business, Changsha, China.
J Med Internet Res. 2022 Jan 11;24(1):e27178. doi: 10.2196/27178.
Massive, easily accessible online health information empowers users to cope with health problems better. Most patients search for relevant online health information before seeing a doctor to alleviate information asymmetry. However, the mechanism of how online health information affects health empowerment is still unclear.
To study how online health information processing affects health empowerment.
We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire study that included 343 samples from participants who had searched online health information before the consultation. Respondents' perceptions of online information cues, benefits, health literacy, and health empowerment were assessed.
Perceived argument quality and perceived source credibility have significant and positive effects on perceived information benefits, but only perceived argument quality has a significant effect on perceived decision-making benefits. Two types of perceived benefits, in turn, affect health empowerment. The effects of perceived argument quality on perceived informational benefits and perceived decision-making benefits on health empowerment are significantly stronger for the high health literacy group than the low health literacy group (t=7.156, P<.001; t=23.240, P<.001). While, the effects of perceived source credibility on perceived informational benefits and perceived informational benefits on health empowerment are significantly weaker for the high health literacy group than the low health literacy group (t=-10.497, P<.001; t=-6.344, P<.001). The effect of perceived argument quality on perceived informational benefits shows no significant difference between high and low health literacy groups.
In the context of online health information, perceived information benefits and perceived decision-making benefits are the antecedents of health empowerment, which in turn will be affected by perceived argument quality and perceived source credibility. Health literacy plays a moderating role in the relationship of some variables. To maximize health empowerment, online health information providers should strengthen information quality and provide differentiated information services based on users' health literacy.
大量易于获取的在线健康信息使用户能够更好地应对健康问题。大多数患者在就医前会搜索相关的在线健康信息，以减轻信息不对称。然而，在线健康信息如何影响健康赋权的机制尚不清楚。
研究在线健康信息处理如何影响健康赋权。
我们进行了一项横断面问卷调查研究，共纳入 343 名在就诊前搜索过在线健康信息的参与者样本。评估了受访者对在线信息线索、益处、健康素养和健康赋权的感知。
感知论点质量和感知来源可信度对感知信息益处有显著的积极影响，但只有感知论点质量对感知决策益处有显著影响。两种感知益处反过来又影响健康赋权。感知论点质量对感知信息益处和感知决策益处对健康赋权的影响在高健康素养组比低健康素养组更强（t=7.156，P<.001；t=23.240，P<.001）。而感知来源可信度对感知信息益处和感知信息益处对健康赋权的影响在高健康素养组比低健康素养组更弱（t=-10.497，P<.001；t=-6.344，P<.001）。感知论点质量对感知信息益处的影响在高健康素养组和低健康素养组之间没有显著差异。
在在线健康信息背景下，感知信息益处和感知决策益处是健康赋权的前因，而健康赋权又会受到感知论点质量和感知来源可信度的影响。健康素养在某些变量的关系中起着调节作用。为了最大限度地提高健康赋权，在线健康信息提供者应加强信息质量，并根据用户的健康素养提供差异化的信息服务。
