Reaching uninsured: Descriptive analysis of retail and wholesale health information channels

Study describes the differences in the type of health information channels use by the insured and uninsured Americans.

Data on use of 3 retail (Newspapers, TV, Internet) and 6 wholesale health information channels (Doctors, Community, Friends, Faith-based organizations, Places of employment, Schools) was obtained from 2005 HINTS Survey. Associations between the use of a particular information channel and insurance status were assessed using Pearson chi-square test. Probability weights have been used for each subject for accurate point estimates and a set of 50 replicable weights were used for jackknife estimation procedure to obtain correct variance and test statistics estimates.

Majority of respondents (84%) got health information from their doctors. Other important sources were friends (80%), faith-based organizations (81%), TV (73%), newspapers (69%), community organizations (50%) and the internet (40%). Being insured was positively associated with visits to doctors, health advice from friends, membership in community organizations, use of internet, newspapers and TV. The gap in information channel use between insured and uninsured was 38% points for doctor visits, 18% for internet, 16% friends, 15% for community organizations membership, and 13% for newspapers. No statistically significant differences between the insured and uninsured were found for respondents that were employed, students or attended religious services.

The patterns of association between insurance status and health information channels suggest that the uninsured underutilize important health information channels (doctors, internet, friends, community, newspapers, TV). Health marketing programs may have greater success in reaching the uninsured by targeting places of employment, education and worship.