Predictors of Self and Surrogate Online Health Information Seeking in Family Caregivers to Cancer Survivors

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to investigate various factors predicting online health information seeking for themselves (self OHIS) and online health information seeking for others (surrogate OHIS) in family caregivers to cancer survivors. To address this purpose, this study applies the comprehensive model of information seeking as a theoretical framework for explaining the relationships between various predictors and two types of OHIS. The data used in this study were taken from the Health Information National Trends Survey 4. A total of 1,113 family caregivers were included in this study. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the effects of predictors on Internet use for health information seeking. Caregivers' self and surrogate OHIS were commonly predicted by their self-rated health and attention to the Internet. However, age, race, and education were significantly associated with self OHIS only, while gender and marital status were significantly associated with surrogate OHIS only. These results suggest that family caregivers' self and surrogate OHIS are predicted by common factors, as well as predicted by different specific factors.

Keywords: family caregivers to cancer survivors; online health information seeking; self-care management; self-information seeking; surrogate information seeking.