Profiling Characteristics of Individual's Using Internet Health Information in Health Care Non-Adherence Decisions

Objective: While the Internet is an important transforming mechanism for medical care and public health promotion and education, questions remain about its limitations. Emerging evidence indicates that a significant proportion of Internet health information consumers are engaging treatment strategies inconsistent with professional recommendations. This study aimed to distinguish Internet users who report non-adherence behavior from their counterparts based a variety of other personal and environmental determinants.

Methods: Responses were anonymously obtained via a self-administered Internet questionnaire from a random sample of adults (males, n = 298; females, n = 317) in the Seattle-Tacoma DMA. Respondents reported their confidence in and use of Internet health information, health status, and personality, depression, and social support self-assessments.

Results: Health information was a key aspect of Internet use for 85.2% of respondents. Overall, 11.2 % of the sample reported that they had “refused or discontinued treatment recommended by your doctor/dentist based on information you obtained from the Internet”. Stepwise discriminant analyses revealed that importance of Internet health information, personality trait anxiety, diminished physical health, congregational support, and time spent using the Internet, in general, and time spent seeking illness and disease information, in particular, were significant discriminating variables. Secondary analysis revealed that depression and diminishing mental health were more evident in non-adherent individuals.

Conclusions: The prominence of attitudes towards and use of Internet health information in health care non-adherence behavior is a unique observation. Consistent with prior adherence research, such behavior appears strongly linked with personal determinants such anxiety, depression, and diminishing health.