Nancy Atkinson
Using the Internet for Health-Related Activities: Findings From a National Probability Sample
University of Maryland, College Park
ehealth tools internet potential help people manage health health care however little known distribution use different kinds ehealth tools across population within population subgroupsthe purpose study examine prevalence predictors participation specific online healthrelated activitiesa secondary data analysis national cancer institutes health information national trends survey hints 2005 conducted study three online behaviors among internet users n 3244 searching health information oneself participating support group similar health medical conditions purchasing medicine vitaminsa total 58 internet users reported searching health information 38 used online support groups 128 bought medicine vitamins online past year multivariate analysis found seeking health information likely women 223 95 ci 160 309 cable satellite internet connections 173 95 ci 122 245 dsl connections 194 95 ci 136 276 internet access work 243 95 ci 127 467 home work 173 95 ci 131 230 report hours weekday internet use 412 95 ci 241 707 high school education less 044 95 ci 031 063 college 066 95 ci 049 089 less likely search health information online support groups likely used fair health 328 95 ci 121 892 poor health 598 95 ci 149 2407 lower incomes 264 95 ci 109 641 less likely used internet access home work 056 95 ci 035 090 age 3549 216 95 ci 143 326 age 5064 244 95 ci 153 389 age 6574 218 95 ci 130 367 married 193 95 ci 113 330 likely purchase medicine vitamins onlinethe internet widely used health information resource less participation purchase medicine vitamins online support groups results suggest modifying survey questions better capture forms online support medications purchased could provide greater understanding nature participation activities