Use of the Internet for Health Information by the Chronically Ill

Details

• Journal Article:
  Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD)
• Personal Author:
  Wagner, Todd H. ; Baker, Laurence C. ; Bundorf, M. Kate ; Singer, Sara
• Description:
  Introduction
  
  Chronic conditions are among the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. The Internet is a source of health information and advice for individuals with chronic conditions and shows promise for helping individuals manage their conditions and improve their quality of life.
  
  Methods
  
  We assessed Internet use for health information by people who had one or more of five common chronic conditions. We conducted a national survey of adults aged 21 and older, then analyzed data from 1980 respondents who had Internet access and who reported that they had hypertension, diabetes, cancer, heart problems, and/or depression.
  
  Results
  
  Adjusted rates for any Internet use for health information ranged from 33.8% (heart problems only) to 52.0% (diabetes only). A sizable minority of respondents — particularly individuals with diabetes — reported that the Internet helped them to manage their condition themselves, and 7.9% said information on the Internet led them to seek care from a different doctor.
  
  Conclusion
  
  Use of the Internet for health information by chronically ill patients is moderate. Self-reported effects on choice of treatment or provider are small but noteworthy.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adult Choice Behavior Chronic Disease Data Collection Depression Diabetes Mellitus Electronic Mail Female Heart Diseases Humans Hypertension Information Dissemination Internet Male Neoplasms Patient Acceptance Of Health Care Patient Participation Questionnaires Sampling Studies Self Care

  More +
• Source:
  Prev Chronic Dis. 2004; 1(4).
• ISSN:
  1545-1151
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  1
• Issue:
  4
• Collection(s):
  Preventing Chronic Disease
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:27f1d32b6b94264734cc328b838ec1f7b7761f4d902292821106e9f8320d77cfcd860dd3891e98a098bc31f7fc305cdc2a6ae3a753af8acd5e28d3b14ab881d4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/19866/cdc_19866_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 374.31 KB ]