Who's using social media? Data from the Health Information National Trends Survey

With the rise of participative Internet use, it is important for health communication efforts to examine social media (SM) use and to understand its potential implications on health. The current study explored socio-demographic characteristics and health-related factors associated with SM use among Internet users in the US. Data came from National Cancer Institute's 2008 iteration of the Health Information National Trends Study (HINTS). In this nationally representative survey, respondents were asked whether they had accessed the Internet over the past year, and if so, whether they had: (1) participated in online support groups; (2) written in blogs; (3) visited social networking sites (e.g.“MySpace”). Using these three forms of SM as outcomes, we conducted multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of use. Among Internet users (n=5078), 5% reported having participated in a support group, while 7% reported having written a blog, and 23% reported having participated in a social networking site. Age was the only significant predictor of blogging and social networking site participation; a strong linear relationship was observed with younger age categories reporting more frequent SM use. In addition, younger age and poorer health status (subjective general health, psychological distress, personal experience with cancer) explained higher support group participation. The finding that SM use is highly predicted by age suggests that the recent growth of SM may not be uniformly felt among all Internet users. Implications of SM on health communication are discussed, including recommendations for health promotion/marketing efforts aiming to utilize social media.