Number of online sources for factual health information seeking – The influences of individual differences

Abstract

The diversity of online information sources gives health consumers more options when seeking for health-related information; however, the quality of the information from different sources varies. Considering the significance of online health information in people’s health care decision-making, it is important to investigate people’s source selection behavior to offer insights for the design of better health information services. In this study, we examined the relationship between individual characteristics and the number of online sources people select for seeking factual health information using the survey method. The results show that people with more source experience, lower education, and being White were associated with higher likelihood to select more sources for factual health information.