Striking jump in consumers seeking healthcare information

Center for Studying Health System Change, August 21, 2008

In 2007, 56% of American adults sought information about a personal health concern, up from 38% in 2001, according to a study by the Center for Studying Health System Change. Use of all information sources rose substantially, with Internet information seeking doubling to 32% during the six-year period. Consumers across all categories of age, education, income, race/ethnicity and health status increased their information seeking significantly, but education level remained the key factor in explaining how likely people are to seek health information, according to the study.