摘要：Objectives. We examined how different types of health information–seeking behaviors (HISBs)—no use, illness information only, wellness information only, and illness and wellness information combined—are associated with health risk factors and health indicators to determine possible motives for health information seeking. Methods. A sample of 559 Seattle–Tacoma area adults completed an Internet-based survey in summer 2006. The survey assessed types of HISB, physical and mental health indicators, health risks, and several covariates. Covariate-adjusted linear and logistic regression models were computed. Results. Almost half (49.4%) of the sample reported HISBs. Most HISBs (40.6%) involved seeking a combination of illness and wellness information, but both illness-only (28.6%) and wellness-only (30.8%) HISBs were also widespread. Wellness-only information seekers reported the most positive health assessments and the lowest occurrence of health risk factors. An opposite pattern emerged for illness-only information seekers. Conclusions. Our findings reveal a unique pattern of linkages between the type of health information sought (wellness, illness, and so on) and health self-assessment among adult Internet users in western Washington State. These associations suggest that distinct health motives may underlie HISB, a phenomenon frequently overlooked in previous research. Internet access is a widely available technology in the United States. 1 , 2 Among the variety of online activities, searching for and using health information appear to be particularly prevalent, undertaken by between 40% and 70% of US adults. 1 , 3 – 7 Hoping to take advantage of the Internet's potential, 8 public health practitioners, clinicians, and researchers have contributed to an emerging literature detailing characteristics of individuals engaging in health information–seeking behaviors (HISBs), exploring motives for engaging in HISBs, and documenting the types of health and medical information being sought. 9 – 11 Previous HISB research has primarily examined how patients seek and use health information across diverse health care contexts, yielding the recurrent observation that individuals striving to deal with stressful health challenges—such as a recent illness diagnosis or chronic disease management—were strongly motivated to engage in Internet HISBs. 9 , 10 , 12 – 14 Several population-based studies, 9 , 15 – 21 many of which have also conceptualized HISB primarily as “a key coping strategy in health-promotive activities and psychosocial adjustment to illness,” 22 (p1006) have yielded corresponding evidence. It should be recognized, however, that a cluster of these studies 17 – 19 , 21 were informed by a common evidentiary resource (i.e., 2000–2002 Pew Internet and American Life Project data), potentially exaggerating the apparent consistency of the “disease and illness” motivation for HISB. Although informative, the predominant focus in previous research on a “disease and illness” motive for HISB has left the hypothesis that healthy individuals may pursue information to maximize positive health outcomes essentially unexplored. 23 A small but growing body of findings suggests, however, that many individuals actively seek out wellness information (e.g., information promoting a healthy lifestyle). Specifically, emerging evidence reveals a positive association between a self-reported “health-conscious” or “health-active” orientation and engaging in wellness information–seeking behavior. 20 , 24 – 27 Indeed, since 2000, the proportion of American adults reporting that they have looked online for diet, exercise, or fitness information has increased substantially and generally exceeds the proportion seeking online information about disease and illness topics (e.g., cancer, arthritis, diabetes). 28 , 29 Pandey et al. have asked, “Is it a disease or an affliction that motivates the use of the internet, or is it that the well and the healthy use the internet in a proactive manner?” 23 (p180) As this question highlights, the nearly exclusive focus in previous research on Internet HISB as a response to health-threatening situations has left questions regarding the potential positive health outcomes motivating HISB unanswered. 22 We aimed to fill this knowledge gap and further expand understanding of linkages between HISB and health perceptions and behaviors. Specifically, we compared mental and physical health indicators and health risk factors across 4 discrete categories of Internet HISBs—no use, illness content only, wellness content only, and illness and wellness content combined—among a sample of adults in the Seattle–Tacoma, Washington area to explore motivations of HISB.
