More
Americans Getting Cancer Information from the Internet
For a
growing number of Americans seeking information about cancer,
the Internet remains a frequent first source, even though
the public's trust in online material may be on the decline,
reports a government study.
The report,
Cancer
Communication: Health Information National Trends Survey 2003
and 2005, is based on data from the Health Information
National Trends Survey (HINTS), a biennial survey sponsored
by NCI's
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS).
First conducted in 2003, HINTS surveys the U.S. civilian adult
population to assess trends in the use of health information
over time and to study the links between cancer-related communication,
knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.
In 2003,
44.9 percent of HINTS respondents reported looking for cancer
information for themselves on the Internet; in 2005, 48.7
percent of respondents reported looking for cancer information
for themselves online. In addition, in 2003, 23.9 percent
of respondents reported "a lot" of trust in health
information from the Internet, while this number was somewhat
lower in 2005 (18.9 percent). Health care professionals were
most frequently identified as a trusted source of information
in both 2003 (62.4 percent) and 2005 (67.2 percent).
"The
survey is not only a surveillance tool, but can be used to
study relationships of how knowledge about health care is
dependent on channels of communication," said NCI researcher
Dr. Bradford Hesse. The researchers also looked at population
estimates of cancer knowledge and beliefs, and worked with
statisticians and geographic information systems specialists
to create maps to portray regional geographic variation, much
like weather maps.
The HINTS
report is available at: http://hints.cancer.gov/hints/.
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