Health Information Seeking Behaviors and Source Preferences between Chinese and U.S. Populations

J Health Commun. 2020 Jun 2;25(6):490-500. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2020.1806414. Epub 2020 Aug 23.

Abstract

This study examined similarities and differences in health information-seeking behaviors between American and Chinese people using data from the 2017 U.S. Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) and the 2017 China HINTS. It is one of the first studies that use comparable samples and survey instruments to make direct comparisons of the two populations' health information-seeking behaviors. Results showed that Americans (including different racial/ethnic groups in the U.S.) were more likely to actively seek health information than Chinese people. Americans were also more likely to use mediated communication as their primary sources of health information while Chinese people favored interpersonal sources. Chinese people reported lower quality of doctor-patient communication than their American counterparts. These differences between the two countries highlight the importance of using different information sources to reach specific populations, and the need to develop tailored public health intervention programs in different cultures.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • China
  • Communication
  • Consumer Health Information / statistics & numerical data*
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Information Seeking Behavior*
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Male
  • Mass Media / statistics & numerical data
  • Middle Aged
  • Physician-Patient Relations
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • United States
  • Young Adult