Media behavior and correlates of perception of health information among female Taiwan residents

This survey aimed to explore media use behaviors and correlates of perception of health information among female residents in Taiwan. A telephone survey was conducted using random digit dial of a nationally representative sample among female residents aged 25 and older. Data were collected using computer-assisted telephone interview systems by stratified random sampling according to geographic areas in 2008. Respondents' perception of health information was measured by a six-item Health Information Scale (HIS) which was developed for this survey and the Cronbach's alpha equal to 0.71. A total of 1,074 respondents were recruited in this survey with response rate of 86%. Respondents' medical and health news contact experiences by media type in the past month were television (47.4%), newspapers (38.5%), and magazines (10.3%), respectively. The most popular health information seeking channels were internet (43.4%), television news (26.8%) and newspaper (17.4%) based on multiple responses. Results of the multiple logistic regression revealed that those aged 45 to 54 (OR=2.43, 95%CI=1.10-5.39) , those with average household monthly income ranging from NT$30,000 to 59,999 (OR=2.14, 95%CI=1.28-3.57), those average household monthly income with NT$60,000 and above (OR=2.19, 95%CI=1.26-3.83), those with daily television news watching time more than 120 minutes (OR=3.21, 95%CI=1.26-8.15), and those always noticing medical/health news (OR=4.41, 95%CI=1.92-10.15), were more likely to have better perception of health information than their counterparts after controlling for respondents' level of education. The study finding provides implications for health marketing strategies using media channels among female residents.