School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
Cardiology Department, Counties Manukau District Health Board, Auckland, 1640, New Zealand.
J Prim Health Care. 2024 Sep;16(3):270-277. doi: 10.1071/HC23143.
Introduction The volume and quality of online health information requires consumers to be discerning. Aim This study aimed to explore consumer Internet use for health information, preferred format and what factors helped them to trust the source. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016-2017 with adults attending three cardiology outpatient clinic sites using a short paper-based survey. The survey included questions regarding online health information use and perceived trustworthiness with opportunities for free text responses. Survey data were summarised with key questions adjusted by age group, gender and ethnicity using logistic regression. Results Of the 708 respondents (51% women, 66% aged 45-74 years, 16% Māori, 12% Pacific), 73% had sought health information online (64% in the previous 12 months), commonly for medication side effects, their health condition and self-help. Most (65%) were successful, although Pacific respondents reported a lower likelihood of search success compared to Europeans. Younger age groups were more concerned about information quality. Fact sheets (80%) were the most popular format and for all ethnic groups, followed by short videos (31%) and discussion groups (23%). Trusting online information required many strategies with 72% wanting health professionals to recommend websites. Discussion Online health information seeking is a norm for consumers, with simple fact sheets being the preferred format to build knowledge and skills. With the rising tide of misinformation, health portal providers need to offer accurate and easy-to-read fact sheets in their suite of formats and health professionals need to support consumers guiding them to trusted websites.
简介 互联网上的健康信息量和质量都要求消费者具有辨别力。 目的 本研究旨在探讨消费者上网查询健康信息的情况、他们偏爱的信息形式，以及帮助他们信任信息源的因素。 方法 2016-2017 年，我们在三个心内科门诊点开展了一项横断面研究，使用纸质简短调查问卷对成年人进行调查。问卷内容包括上网查询健康信息的情况和对信息源的信任度，还为自由文本回答提供了机会。我们对调查数据进行了总结，针对年龄组、性别和族裔，对关键问题进行了调整，并使用逻辑回归进行分析。 结果 在 708 名受访者中（51%为女性，66%年龄在 45-74 岁之间，16%为毛利人，12%为太平洋岛民），73%的人曾上网查询过健康信息（64%是在过去 12 个月内），通常是为了查询药物副作用、自身健康状况和自我帮助的信息。大多数人（65%）都成功找到了信息，尽管与欧洲人相比，太平洋岛民报告搜索成功的可能性较低。年轻群体更关注信息质量。信息表（80%）是最受欢迎的形式，所有族裔群体都更喜欢信息表，其次是短视频（31%）和讨论组（23%）。要信任在线信息需要采用多种策略，72%的人希望卫生专业人员推荐网站。 讨论 上网查询健康信息对消费者来说是一种常态，简单的信息表是建立知识和技能的首选形式。随着错误信息的泛滥，健康门户网站提供商需要在其各种形式的信息中提供准确且易于阅读的信息表，卫生专业人员需要为消费者提供支持，引导他们访问值得信赖的网站。
