275589
Has the internet replaced traditional media and human as a major health information source among Chinese middle- and older-age adults
Ho-Shong Hou, PhD,
Professor - National Taitung University, Taitung, Taiwan (R.O.C.), Taichung, Taiwan
Purpose: This study examined trends of health information sources among Chinese adults age 40+. Methods: Two pilot studies were conducted in 2002 (n=450) and 2011 (n=530) respectively in Taiwan. Convenience samples of middle- and older-age adults from workplaces and communities were recruited. Both studies measured common sources of health information. Results: Overall, comparing with the 2002 sample, participants in the 2011 sample were younger (mean age of 46.33 vs. 50.26 years), had lower proportion of males (59.1% vs. 69.3%), and less likely to have college education (43.7% vs. 51.3%). Although 60% of the overall participants indicated TV as their most common source of health information, the 2011 sample were less likely to seek health information from newspaper (33.6% vs. 77.6%), healthcare providers (41.8% vs. 51.5%), or friends (20.5% vs. 31.0%), and more likely to use the Internet (34.8% vs. 5.4%). After controlling for demographics (age, gender, & education), the pattern stayed the same, and data showed 2011 participants were 9.7 times more likely to use the Internet as a major health information source. Conclusion: While TV remains a popular source, findings showed significant increasing trend on using Internet and significant decreasing trend on using newspaper as a major source of health information. This is the first study examined and directly compared trend of major health information sources among adults age 40+ years in Taiwan. Results have implication on the important role online health information can play among Chinese middle- and older-age adults.
Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Learning Objectives:
Describe common sources of health information among middle- and older-age adults in Taiwan
Identify trends of major source of health information among participating middle- and older-age adults in Taiwan
Discuss implication of study findings on the role of online health information versus traditional media or human in communicating health information with Chinese middle- and older-age adults
Keyword(s): Communication Technology, Health Communications
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I'm the PI of this study have years of experience conducting cancer communication and intervention research.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
