TRENDS IN THE INTERNET USE FOR HEALTH-RELATED INFORMATION AMONG THE BULGARIAN POPULATION AGED 20 AND OVER
Journal Title: Българско списание за обществено здраве (Bulgarian Journal of Public Health) - Year 2018, Vol 0, Issue 3
Abstract
Globally there has been a steady increase in consumers seeking health information on the Internet. A good knowledge of Internet audiences is an important factor in the effective use of this health communication channel. Goal: To study the trends in the use of the Internet as a channel for health information among different age groups of the population over 20 years old, in order to increase the effectiveness of health-communication interventions for health promotion and disease prevention. Material and methods: Two surveys were conducted among people over 20 years old, segmented by age and gender, on trends in the use of the Internet to search for health information. Both surveys were conducted: first one in 2014 among 2979 individuals, and second survey for the period 2016-2017 among 804 individuals. A direct individual questioning was used. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), Software version 20.0. Results: The comparative analysis of the Internet use over the surveyed periods showed a significant increase in its using for health-related information (2014 - 24.1%, 2016-2017 - 48.4%), in all age groups (p<0.001). With increasing age, interest in the Internet as a source of health information declined, with respondents from 20 to 49 years of age being the highest use. Unlike in 2014, the survey in 2016-2017 showed a reverse trend in the use of the Internet for health information by sex, more often women (54.1%) than men (39.6%) use Internet for search of health information, with a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). The most significant gender difference was observed in the age groups 20-29 years (men -75.4%, women 84.6%) and 30-39 years (men - 40.5%, women - 62.7%). Conclusion: The Internet use for seeking health information has significantly increased among all age groups over 20 years old. This requires developing new approaches to the use of the Internet for public health purposes.
Authors and Affiliations
Tatyana Karanesheva, Natashka Danova
Keywords
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