Table 3.
OR (95% CI) Comparing Never Sought Health Information on the Internet to Ever Sought and the Timing of Seeking by Sociodemographic Characteristics* Among WLS Respondents with Internet Access (N=4,528)
| Variable | Ever sought health information on internet (N=2,123) | Sought info before doctor visit (N=305) | Sought info after doctor visit (N=645) | Sought info instead of or unrelated to doctor visit (N=1,127) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 1.23 (1.06, 1.43) | 1.34 (0.99, 1.81) | 1.12 (0.9, 1.4) | 1.30 (1.09, 1.56) |
| Married | 1.07 (0.89, 1.29) | 0.86 (0.61, 1.22) | 1.10 (0.84, 1.43) | 1.09 (0.87, 1.36) |
| # Of children | 0.95 (0.91, 0.99) | 1.03 (0.96, 1.12) | 0.97 (0.91, 1.02) | 0.92 (0.88, 0.97) |
| Rural or farm origin | 0.91 (0.77, 1.07) | 0.93 (0.67, 1.31) | 0.92 (0.72, 1.18) | 0.92 (0.76, 1.13) |
| High school cognitive ability† | 1.14 (1.05, 1.24) | 1.18 (1.00, 1.38) | 1.25 (1.12, 1.41) | 1.09 (0.99, 1.2) |
| Education | 1.09 (1.06, 1.13) | 1.12 (1.05, 1.19) | 1.07 (1.03, 1.13) | 1.10 (1.06, 1.14) |
| Health insurance | ||||
| Private | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Medicare+other private | 1.12 (0.97, 1.3) | 1.23 (0.92, 1.63) | 1.08 (0.87, 1.34) | 1.14 (0.95, 1.36) |
| Medicare without private | 1.00 (0.77, 1.3) | 0.44 (0.22, 0.89) | 0.96 (0.65, 1.4) | 1.21 (0.89, 1.63) |
| Other public | 1.21 (0.75, 1.96) | 0.39 (0.09, 1.66) | 1.61 (0.88, 2.95) | 1.13 (0.62, 2.05) |
| None | 1.25 (0.81, 1.93) | 1.20 (0.52, 2.79) | 0.87 (0.43, 1.78) | 1.52 (0.93, 2.49) |
*
Adjusted for all other variables in the table as well as health, psychological, and doctor-patient relationship characteristics.
†
Measured in high school using Henmon-Nelson test, 1954 version, standardized.
OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; WLS, Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.