Hispanic satisfaction with cancer-related health information on the internet

Background: In 2012, cancer surpassed heart disease as the number one cause of death among U.S. Hispanics. Hispanics have less cancer knowledge and are less likely to seek cancer information on the Internet than other U.S. ethnic groups. Latinos' health information seeking is impeded by: language, cultural barriers, Internet access, and low literacy. Method: Seven questions from the Cancer Communication section of the 2003 HINTS data set were used to investigate Latino satisfaction with cancer information on the Internet. Using ordinal logistic regression, odds ratios were calculated to compare Hispanics (N=338) to Non-Hispanic Whites (N=4,562) on responses to seven questions from the HINTS survey. Results: Hispanics were more likely to want more information (OR=1.031); feel less satisfied (OR=0.0974); make increased effort to find information (OR=1.092); feel more frustrated (OR=1.713); and more likely to have found information less useful (OR=1.518) than their Non-Hispanic White counterparts. Conclusions: Searching for and obtaining relevant cancer information is challenging for Hispanics. They perceive and report the information seeking process as effortful and frustrating. If information is obtained, that information is not perceived as satisfying or useful. Hispanics' Internet access (or lack thereof) and relevant barriers should be considered when creating or disseminating cancer information targeting Hispanic audiences. Efforts should be made to increase Internet access and promote it as a way to obtain relevant health information. Consideration should also be given to cultural appropriateness of cancer information. Satisfying Latinos' health information needs may be an effective step in increasing cancer-screening rates.