JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The Internet has enabled convenient and efficient health information (HI) searching which is valuable for individuals with chronic conditions that require some level of self-management of their health. However, there is little research evaluating what factors may impact the use of the Internet for health-related tasks for specific clinical populations, such as individuals with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), a chronic condition that can include self-management as part of their treatment plans.

Objective:

Our goal was to investigate the factors that influence Internet use in acquiring HI by individuals with IBD. Specifically, we identified factors associated with Internet searching behavior and using the Internet for completing health-related tasks for those with IBD.

Methods:

We used the 2016 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) weighted data to develop logistic regression models to predict the likelihood that individuals with IBD would use the Internet for two types of tasks: seeking HI through online searches, and using the Internet to perform health-related tasks including scheduling appointments and emailing care providers.

Results:

The 2016 NHIS weighted data includes more than 3 million weighted adult respondents with IBD (which is about 1.29% of all the adults in the weighted dataset). Our results suggest that approximately 66.3% of those with IBD reported using the Internet at least once a day and approximately 14.7% reported being dissatisfied with their current healthcare. About 62.3% of those with IBD reported that they had looked up health information online, 16.3% of those with IBD reported that they had scheduled an appointment with a health care provide online, and 21.6% reported having used a computer to communicate with a health provider by email. More specifically, we found that women who were self-regulating their care were more likely to look up HI online than others. Both middle-aged and older adults with IBD who were unsatisfied with their current health care were more likely to look up HI online. Frequent Internet users who were worried about medical cost were also more likely to look up HI online. Similarly, the results from our statistical models suggest that individuals with IBD who were frequent Internet users were more likely to use the Internet for specific health-related tasks. Additionally, women with IBD who reported being married were more likely to use the Internet for specific health-related tasks.

Conclusions:

For those with IBD, there are additional socioeconomic and behavioral factors that impact the use of the Internet for HI and health-related tasks. Future research should evaluate how these factors moderate the use of the Internet and to identify how online resources can support clinical populations in ways that improve access to information, support health self-management, and subsequently improve health outcomes.