Most frequently used sources of health information vs. trust level - Do middle- and older-age adults in Taiwan trust the sources of health information they seek most often?

Purpose: This study examined major sources of health information and trust levels among middle- and older-age working adults in Taiwan, and how demographics and beliefs towards eHealth communication moderate these relationships.  Methods: An eHealth communication survey was administered to employee age 40+ in two major worksites in Taiwan.  A previously validated eHealth communication belief inventory (eHealth-BI) with two sub-scales, the eHealth-BI pros and eHealth-BI cons, was used.  Results: A total of 533 employees participated (mean age = 46.21 (SD=5.01) years).  Participants overall ranked TV (62%) as the most frequently used source of health information, followed by healthcare providers (41.8%), the Internet (38.2%), newspaper (33.5%), family (31.0%), and friends (20.4%).  However, healthcare providers received the highest trust rank (93.8%), followed by family (76.9%), newspaper (72.5%), TV (69.8%), friends (64.5%), and the Internet (60.8%).  Although TV and the Internet were among the more frequently used health information sources (ranked 1 and 3), they were among the least trusted sources (ranked 4 and 6 respectively).  Those had college education were less likely to indicate TV as a major source (OR=.44), while those had favorable beliefs towards eHealth communication were more likely to trust online health information (OR=3.00) (p<.001).  Conclusion:  Overall participants had high trust among all of the major health information sources, even with the lowest ranked Internet (61%).  Data showed participants do not necessarily have highest trust on the sources they seek most often.  The study has implications on delivering health information via various channels among middle- and older-age adults in Taiwan.