JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The Internet is one of the most frequently accessed platforms for finding consumer health information. The use of trustworthy online consumer health information is generally associated with benefits, yet barriers such as low health literacy may reduce these benefits. One of the largest groups of online health information consumers are parents of young children, as well as people in their social circle (grandparents, family members, friends, neighbours, or professionals working with children). The concept of proxy-seeking (on behalf of others) has been explored in the literature, yet little is known on the outcomes.

Objective:

The main aim of this study is to describe online consumer health information outcomes reported by proxy-seekers using an online parenting website. We compare the outcomes reported by parents with those reported by members of their social circle after consulting an online parenting information website. A secondary objective was to explore if the method of accessing the information by the proxy-seekers (active searching through the website or passive seeking through a weekly newsletter) changed the outcomes reported.

Methods:

A two-year quantitative observational study was conducted in the context of an ongoing partnership between Naître et Grandir (an online parenting resource) and the research team. Participants were parents of 0- to 8-year-old children and members of their entourage (grandparents, family members, friends, neighbours, or professionals working with children) in Canada who had accessed N&G through the website or through a weekly newsletter. For each N&G webpage, the participants’ perception regarding the outcomes of seeking and using specific N&G webpages was gathered using a content-validated Information Assessment Method (IAM) questionnaire. Comparison of survey responses was assessed using frequency analyses. For key primary survey items, a chi-square test was conducted and differences in relative frequencies of responses were computed along with confidence intervals.

Results:

A total of 51,325 completed IAM questionnaires were included in the study analysis, pertaining to 1079 N&G webpages (mean 48; range 1-637). Compared to parents, the entourage are more likely to report using the information in discussion with others. Parents, on the other hand, were more likely than the entourage to report using the information to do something for their child. In addition, results suggest that the differences in perceived benefits of N&G online parenting information by the entourage, depends on how they access the information. Respondents who were actively seeking the information (through the website) were more likely to report that the information will help them be less worried, will help them handle a problem, and help them decide what to do with someone else. Respondents who passively acquired the information (through the newsletter) were more likely to report the information would help improve the health or well-being od a child.

Conclusions:

From a practical standpoint, this is an important topic for information specialists, primary health care practitioners and public health officials. By better understanding how a consumer and their entourage use information together, information providers can better adapt the information to meet both individual and group needs, and health care practitioners can target patients’ entourage with online health information resources for dissemination and use. Public health interventions aimed at supporting parents can do so by extending social structures to facilitate collective information sharing.