Demographic factors associated with health information technology use among adults in the United States, 2009

The dynamic involvement of consumers in managing their own health care includes activities such as the use of computers to access, retrieve, store, or share health care information. As the percentage of adults in the U.S. who use the Internet continues to grow, the Internet may become increasingly important as a source of health information for consumers. Although the use of the Internet has the potential to improve consumer health by facilitating communication between providers and patients, and among providers, previous research has found that many consumers are concerned about security and confidentiality issues related to scheduling medical appointments and accessing personal health records online. This study uses data from the 2009 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which is nationally representative of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population, to examine the use of health information technology (HIT). The NHIS was the first nationally representative household survey to collect data on the use of HIT. The NHIS is conducted as a face-to-face household interview. A total of 27,731 randomly sampled adults 18 years of age and over provided information about their use of HIT. Preliminary findings are that among persons aged 18-64, women were more likely than men to look up health information on the Internet (58% vs. 43%) and were more likely to use online chat groups to learn about health topics (4.1% vs. 2.5%). Women 18-64 years of age were more likely than men in this age group to request prescription refills and make appointments using the Internet, and to communicate with health care providers by e-mail. This paper will analyze selected demographic characteristics such as race, income, education, age, marital status, and health insurance coverage status and their associations with HIT use among adults 18 years of age and over.