Health information-seeking on behalf of others: characteristics of "surrogate seekers"

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dc.contributor.authorCutrona, Sarah L
dc.contributor.authorMazor, Kathleen M.
dc.contributor.authorVieux, Sana N.
dc.contributor.authorLuger, Tana M.
dc.contributor.authorVolkman, Julie E.
dc.contributor.authorFinney Rutten, Lila J.
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Medicine
dc.contributor.departmentMeyers Primary Care Institute
dc.date2022-08-11T08:11:03.000
dc.date.accessioned2022-08-23T17:30:14Z
dc.date.available2022-08-23T17:30:14Z
dc.date.issued2015-03-01
dc.date.submitted2015-09-25
dc.description.abstractUnderstanding the behaviors of surrogate seekers (those who seek health information for others) may guide efforts to improve health information transmission. We used 2011-2012 data from the Health Information National Trends Survey to describe behaviors of online surrogate seekers. Respondents were asked about use of the Internet for surrogate-seeking over the prior 12 months. Data were weighted to calculate population estimates. Two thirds (66.6%) reported surrogate-seeking. Compared to those who sought health information online for only themselves, surrogate seekers were more likely to live in households with others (weighted percent 89.4 vs. 82.5% of self-seekers; p < 0.05); no significant differences in sex, race, income or education were observed. Surrogate seekers were more likely to report activities requiring user-generated content: email communication with healthcare providers; visits to social networking sites to read and share about medical topics and participation in online health support groups. On multivariate analysis, those who had looked online for healthcare providers were more likely to be surrogate seekers (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.08-2.59). In addition to seeking health information, surrogate seekers create and pass along communications that may influence medical care decisions. Research is needed to identify ways to facilitate transmission of accurate health information.
dc.identifier.citation<p>J Cancer Educ. 2015 Mar;30(1):12-9. doi: 10.1007/s13187-014-0701-3. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13187-014-0701-3">Link to article on publisher's site</a></p>
dc.identifier.contextkey7641696
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s13187-014-0701-3
dc.identifier.issn0885-8195 (Linking)
dc.identifier.legacycoverpagehttps://escholarship.umassmed.edu/umccts_pubs/48
dc.identifier.pmid24989816
dc.identifier.submissionpathumccts_pubs/48
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/50476
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.relation<p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=24989816&dopt=Abstract">Link to Article in PubMed</a></p>
dc.relation.urlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4282983/
dc.source.issue1
dc.source.journaltitleJournal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education
dc.source.pages12-9
dc.source.volume30
dc.subjectUMCCTS funding
dc.subjectHealth Communication
dc.subjectHealth Information Technology
dc.subjectPublic Health
dc.subjectTranslational Medical Research
dc.titleHealth information-seeking on behalf of others: characteristics of "surrogate seekers"
dc.typeJournal Article
dspace.entity.typePublication
html.description.abstract<p>Understanding the behaviors of surrogate seekers (those who seek health information for others) may guide efforts to improve health information transmission. We used 2011-2012 data from the Health Information National Trends Survey to describe behaviors of online surrogate seekers. Respondents were asked about use of the Internet for surrogate-seeking over the prior 12 months. Data were weighted to calculate population estimates. Two thirds (66.6%) reported surrogate-seeking. Compared to those who sought health information online for only themselves, surrogate seekers were more likely to live in households with others (weighted percent 89.4 vs. 82.5% of self-seekers; p < 0.05); no significant differences in sex, race, income or education were observed. Surrogate seekers were more likely to report activities requiring user-generated content: email communication with healthcare providers; visits to social networking sites to read and share about medical topics and participation in online health support groups. On multivariate analysis, those who had looked online for healthcare providers were more likely to be surrogate seekers (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.08-2.59). In addition to seeking health information, surrogate seekers create and pass along communications that may influence medical care decisions. Research is needed to identify ways to facilitate transmission of accurate health information.</p>
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