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Internet, Medical Encounters and Subjective Health: Moderating and Mediating Roles of Trust, and Health Literacy

Sun, August 12, 10:30 to 11:30am, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, 103B

Abstract

Purpose of the Study: Use of the Internet increasingly represents a critical component of health management strategies, especially among aging baby boomers. As patients’ Internet health information-seeking becomes a common self-care practice, it is important to examine the influence of health information-seeking online on the patient’s health-related experiences. We explored the association of trust in electronic health information resources (e-trust), electronic health information literacy (e-health literacy), and consumption of electronic health information (e-health consumerism) on satisfaction with perceived changes in quality of medical encounters and health-related perceptions (better self-care, improvements in health status, and health-related quality of life).
Design and Methods: Our respondents were recruited from the largest national probability-based online research panel, which covers 97% of U.S. households to maximize sample representativeness. Our sample consisted of 499 randomly selected community-dwelling adults aged 40-93. We employed hierarchical multivariate regression analyses and structural equation modeling. We examined the moderating role of age, e-trust, and satisfaction with medical encounters by creating interaction terms.
Results: There is a significant interaction between age and satisfaction with medical encounters. Older participants who indicated higher levels of satisfaction with medical encounters reported better ability to provide self-care, perceived better health and reported higher scores on overall positive health perceptions scale. We found e-trust and e-health consumerism to be significant covariates of self-care. Moreover, e-health literacy, e-trust, e-health consumerism, and satisfaction with medical encounters were significant covariates of health-related quality of life.
Implications: Perceived benefits derived from e-health resources influence the subjectively reported health of aging adults.

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