Chronic illness and health-seeking information on the Internet

Bibliographic Data

ID5141277
AuthorsStephanie L Ayer (0000-0002-6294-4379, Arizona State University), Stephanie L Ayers (Arizona State University), Jennie Jacobs Kronenfeld (Arizona State University)
Year2007
Volume11
Issue3
Pages327-347
Publication date2007-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health Illness and Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-4593 • E-ISSN: 1461-7196
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1363459307077547
PMID17606698
OpenAlexW2023209121
LanguageEN
Citations received42
References cited35

ABSRACT By using the theories of help-seeking behavior and health-information seeking, this article demonstrates the relationship between chronic illness, retrieving health information from the Internet and changing health behavior. Research on the impact of health information on the Internet and changing health behavior is fairly new, given the growth of the Internet in recent years. Using US data on Internet use within the US population, multiple regression analysis was performed to explore the relationships between chronic medical conditions and frequency of Internet use, as well as changes in health behavior due to frequency of Internet use. The findings suggest that it is not merely the presence of a particular chronic illness, but rather the total number of chronic conditions that determine Internet use. Also, the more frequently a person uses the Internet as a source of health information, the more likely they are to change their health behavior

Health care · Internet privacy · Political science · Psychiatry · Sociology · Sociology of health and illness · The Internet · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility · Medicine · Mobile Health and mHealth Applications · Psychology · Social Media in Health Education