Dataset Information

Online Health Information Seeking by Parents for Their Children: Systematic Review and Agenda for Further Research.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Parents commonly use the internet to search for information about their child's health-related symptoms and guide parental health-related decisions. Despite the impact of parental online health seeking on offline health behaviors, this area of research remains understudied. Previous literature has not adequately distinguished searched behaviors when searching for oneself or one`s child. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this review is to examine prevalences and associated variables of parent-child online health information seeking; investigate parents' health-related online behavior regarding how they find, use, and evaluate information; and identify barriers and concerns that they experience during the search. Based on this analysis, we develop a conceptual model of potentially important variables of proxy online health information seeking, with a focus on building an agenda for further research. METHODS:We conducted a comprehensive systematic literature review of the PsycINFO, JMIR, and PubMed electronic databases. Studies between January 1994 and June 2018 were considered. The conceptual model was developed using an inductive mixed methods approach based on the investigated variables in the study sample. RESULTS:A total of 33 studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings suggest that parents worldwide are heavy online users of health-related information for their children across highly diverse circumstances. A total of 6 studies found high parental health anxiety, with prevalences ranging from 14% to 52%. Although parents reported wishing for more guidance from their pediatrician on how to find reliable information, they rarely discussed retrieved information from the web. The conceptual model of proxy online health information seeking includes 49 variables. CONCLUSIONS:This systematic review identifies important gaps regarding the influence of health-related information on parents' health behavior and outcomes. Follow-up studies are required to offer parents guidance on how to use the web for health purposes in an effective way, as well as solutions to the multifaceted problems during or after online health information seeking for their child. The conceptual model with the number of studies in each model category listed highlights how previous studies have hardly considered relational variables between the parent and child. An agenda for future research is presented.

SUBMITTER: Kubb C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7479585 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Online Health Information Seeking by Parents for Their Children: Systematic Review and Agenda for Further Research.

Kubb Christian C Foran Heather M HM

Journal of medical Internet research 20200825 8

<h4>Background</h4>Parents commonly use the internet to search for information about their child's health-related symptoms and guide parental health-related decisions. Despite the impact of parental online health seeking on offline health behaviors, this area of research remains understudied. Previous literature has not adequately distinguished searched behaviors when searching for oneself or one`s child.<h4>Objective</h4>The purpose of this review is to examine prevalences and associated variab ...[more]

PMID: 32840484

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Project description:ObjectiveTo systematically review and synthesise qualitative research exploring parents/carers' experiences of seeking online information and support for long-term physical childhood conditions.DesignSystematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research.Data sourcesMedline, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO and the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences were searched from inception to September 2019. We used thematic synthesis to analyse findings.Eligibility criteriaPrimary research papers presenting qualitative data collection and analysis, focusing on parents/carers' experiences of seeking health information and support from online resources for long-term physical childhood health conditions. No language restrictions were placed.Results23 studies from seven countries met inclusion criteria and were included in the synthesis. Included studies presented data collected through interviews/focus groups with 559 parents/carers; free-text surveys and essays with 26 parents/carers and 2407 messages from online support groups. Parents/carers developed a variety of strategies to obtain information and support online, based on personal preferences, appraisal of trustworthiness, perceived needs and previous experiences online. Many parents sought the benefits of online information and support, which included reassurance and validation from online communities, and feeling they had greater knowledge about their children's conditions. Some concerns and perceived risks were discussed, which often stemmed from prior unsatisfactory experiences of seeking information and support online, consultations with health professionals and seeing distressing stories online.ConclusionMost parents/carers were successful in obtaining information and support online. Many continued to share experiences with other parents/carers online. The need for information was particularly apparent early after diagnosis of the condition, whereas the need for peer support continued. The potential concerns and perceived risks with information and support online were especially apparent among parents/carers of children with life-limiting long-term conditions. Findings may be useful for health professionals to facilitate discussions regarding use of online resources, and researchers designing online health resources for parents/carers.Prospero registration numberCRD42018096009.

Project description:Background:In contemporary society, due to the exponential growth of technology and the online platform, data acquisition has never been so effortless. Subsequent accessibility to health information has been reported as having many positive and negative effects. Health anxiety is the apprehension of experiencing or developing an ailment due to symptomology misinterpretation. One such lifetime occurrence which causes increased anxiety is becoming a new parent. New parents often use the online platform to seek information which will educate them on how best to care for their child and to keep their child's health at the optimum level. Methods:The online Pregnancy Questionnaire used within this study was inclusive of the Short HAI Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) and was tailored for both pregnant women and new parents. This study focuses specifically on the results provided by the new parents. The research was disseminated and advertised on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and a purpose-built website named "A Healthy Search" which provided all information relevant to the study and participation. Quantitative data were analysed using a regression and qualitative data were thematically analysed. Results:Results shows that medical complications in pregnancy did not significantly predict health anxiety however medical care within the past year did. It can also be seen that frequency of searching online for self, did not significantly predict health anxiety, yet searching online for child did significantly predict health anxiety. Anxiety specific to pregnancy ceases when gravidity comes to an end and feelings of health anxiety then tend to be transferred from the mother (parent) to the child when one becomes a new parent. New parents strive to expand their own knowledge base, in regards to typical and atypical symptomology, so that they are better equipped to monitor development, care for, and make decisions on behalf of their child. The online platform was used as opposed to offline provisos due to inexperience, judgement and anonymity. Online health information seeking behaviour also has the probability of both increasing and decreasing levels of anxiety in new parents. Conclusions:This research recognised and reinforced positive and negative aspects of online health information seeking behaviour. It is recommended that further research be carried out into relevant, efficacious interventional techniques that may relieve health anxiety within new parents as contemporary technology has become a pivotal aspect of life.

Project description:BackgroundDigital media are increasingly abundant providing a wide scope of health information. To date, very little is known about parental health information seeking behaviour for child health outside of English-speaking and Nordic countries. Our study "Digital parental counsellors" examines how parents search for health information in digital media, print media and among "personal contacts", distinguishing between the search for information about general child health and development and child's acute illness, and comparing information seeking behaviour by disability status of the child.MethodsThe population-based sample consisted of 769 parents with children aged 0-2 in the German-speaking region of Switzerland returning the study questionnaire (30% response rate). We developed a frequency score of use of different information sources and conducted bivariate and multivariate linear regression analyses to describe parental search behaviour and the association with child's disability status.ResultsThe sample consists of 88% mothers (mean age: 35.7 years SD 4.33). Children's mean age is 16 months (SD 7.1), 49% of the children are female and 6% have a disability. Parents use digital media significantly more frequently to search for information about general health and development questions than about an acute child's illness (p < 0.001). In case of acute child's illness, parents refer to their paediatrician, family members and other personal contacts significantly more frequently than other information sources (p < 0.001). The use of digital media and "personal contacts" does not significantly vary between parents with and without a disabled child, whereas the use of print media does (p < 0.02). Moreover, irrespective of disability, 45% of parents resort to the Internet prior to a paediatric visit and 27% after a visit when a visit did not answer all questions.ConclusionsDespite the high prevalence of digital media, personal contacts are still the most frequent health information resource for parents with young children, irrespective of the child's health. Parents combine all information resources (online, print, personal network) to improve their understanding or check the validity of information received regarding their child's health. It is thus of utmost importance, that the increasingly accessed digital information parents search for is correct, understandable and addresses parent's concerns.Trial registrationBASEC Req-2017-00817 (30 October 2017).

Project description:Objective: Disparities in cancer care contribute to higher rates of cancer mortality. Online health information would be a resource for cancer patients to obtain knowledge and make health decisions. However, factors that hinder or facilitate online searching behaviours among patients remain unexplored. The current systematic review aims to identify and synthesise evidence of cancer patients' barriers to and facilitators of online health information-seeking behaviours. Methods: Electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus) were systematically searched, and a total of 123 full-text studies were reviewed of which 24 met the inclusion criteria. Results: Thematic analysis was performed to identify barriers and facilitators of online health information-seeking behaviours. Seven key themes were identified: (1) socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, education, income, ethnicity and language), (2) psychosocial aspects (psychological wellbeing, need for a face to face contact, motivation, support), (3) accessibility (Internet access, residence), (4) quality and quantity of information (amount, reliability), (5) cancer stage and symptoms (time since diagnosis, experiencing symptoms), (6) aspects related to healthcare professionals (relationship with the patients and opinions on online health information) and (7) digital literacy (computer skills and literacy). Conclusions: Findings underscore the significance of recognising the multifaceted nature of barriers and facilitators affecting cancer patients' online health information-seeking behaviours. A strong link between these factors and cancer patients' ability to make informed decisions and cope effectively with their diagnosis emerged. Consequently, addressing these barriers and leveraging the identified facilitators could lead to improvements in patient-centred care, ultimately contributing to better healthcare services and informed decision-making for cancer patients. Future research should prioritise exploring strategies for enhancing cancer care accessibility across all stakeholders involved.RegistrationCRD42023408091.

Project description:BackgroundSeeking online health information (OHI) has become a common practice globally. The information seekers could face health risks if they are not proficient in OHI literacy. The OHI-seeking behaviors and skills of Chinese college students, the largest proportion of college students in the world, are understudied. This study was aimed to describe OHI-seeking behaviors and skills of college students in Guangdong, China.MethodsCollege students in the Guangdong province with OHI-seeking experience were invited via WeChat, QQ, and Sina Weibo using QR code posters and flyers for participation in this online anonymized questionnaire-based study. Data on demographics, OHI literacy, information resources, search approaches, and behaviors were collected. The relationship between perceived OHI literacy and high-risk behaviors was investigated by bivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsRespondents were 1203 college students with a mean age of 20.6 years, females (60.2%), and undergraduates (97.2%). They sought health information via websites (20.3%), WeChat (2.6%), or both (77.1%). Baidu was the main search engine, and baike.baidu.com (80.3%), Zhihu.com (48.4%), and Zhidao.baidu.com (35.8%) were top three among 20 searched websites for information about self-care (80.7%), general health (79.5%), disease prevention (77.7%), self-medication (61.2%), family treatment (40.9%), drugs (37.7%), western medications (26.6%), hospitals (22.7%), physicians (21.4%), and Traditional Chinese Medicine (15.6%). Despite most respondents (78%) lacked confidence in the evidence quality and satisfaction with the results, only 32.4% further consulted doctors. Many (> 50%) would recommend the retrieved information to others. About 20% experienced hacking/Internet fraud. Cronbach's alpha for the internal consistency of OHI literacy was 0.786. Bivariate logistic regression analysis showed that students who believed they can judge the evidence level of OHI were more likely to self-diagnose (OR = 2.2, 95%CI, 1.6-3.1) and look for drug usage (OR = 3.1, 95%CI, 1.9-5.0).ConclusionsThis study reveals Chinese college students' heavy reliance on OHI to manage their own and others' health without sufficient knowledge/skills to identify misinformation and disinformation. The apparent risky information-seeking behaviors of Chinese college students warrant the provision of regulated, accurate, and actionable health information; assurance of cybersecurity; and health information literacy promotion in colleges by concerned authorities.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Understanding how older patients with chronic illnesses use the internet to obtain health information is relevant for the design of digital interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being of adults aged 65 years and older; this cohort represents the sickest, most expensive, and fastest-growing segment of the US population. OBJECTIVE:The objective of our study was to describe online health information-seeking behavior among older patients with chronic illnesses and to compare the characteristics of patients who report using the internet to obtain health information with those who do not. METHODS:The study population included 72,806 women aged 65 years and older enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a national cohort study, who completed a 2014 supplemental questionnaire assessing everyday technology use and internet use for researching health conditions. Comparisons were made between participants with and without a history of chronic illness and between users and nonusers of online sources for health information. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. RESULTS:Of the total, 59% (42,887/72,806) of older women used the internet for health information. Compared with women who did not use the internet to obtain health information, those who used the internet were younger (median age: 76 vs 81 years), more likely to be non-Hispanic white (90% [38,481/42,887] vs 87% [26,017/29,919]), earned a higher income (over $US 50,000: 55% [23,410/42,887] vs 33% [9991/29,919]), achieved a higher educational level (more than high school: 87% [37,493/42,887] vs 75% [22,377/29,919]), and were more likely to live with a partner (52% [22,457/42,887] vs 36% [10,759/29,919]) (all P<.001). Women with Alzheimer disease were least likely to report online health information-seeking compared to those without the disease (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.38-0.43). In contrast, women with a recent diagnosis of cancer, within the previous 2 years (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.11-1.36) or 2-5 years ago (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.00-1.19), were most likely to use the internet for health information. CONCLUSIONS:Nearly 6 in 10 older women participating in the WHI reported using the internet to obtain health information. Patients recently diagnosed with cancer are more likely to be looking for health information online, even after adjustment for age, suggesting that these patients may have a greater need for digital health resources.

Dataset Information

Online Health Information Seeking by Parents for Their Children: Systematic Review and Agenda for Further Research.

Publications

Online Health Information Seeking by Parents for Their Children: Systematic Review and Agenda for Further Research.

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