Identifying Social Characteristics of Health-Related Information Seeker: A Gender-Specific Approach for Cancer Survivors

Abstract

While health information-seeking behavior as an indicator of health communication of patients includingcancer survivors has been researched, few studies have focused on how socioeconomic position and media usecombine to influence health-related information seekers. This study examined social characteristics of healthinformation-seeking behavior taking into account an individual’s socioeconomic position and their media usein Korea, a developed country. The data for this study came from a survey of 1,010 respondents drawn from anationally representative sample in the Republic of Korea. We conducted multivariate logistic regression analysesfor gender-specific effects. We found that men who reported high household income were one and half times morelikely to seek health information than those with low income status. We also found that women who performedInternet searches by computer at home were almost two times more likely to seek health information than thosewho did not. Similar results were found for men as well. Our analyses revealed that socioeconomic position andmedia use are associated with health information-seeking behavior by gender. Studies on information seekersmay bring us more effective health promotion and relevant intervention for people with chronic conditionsincluding cancer survivors.