Table 4. The results of univariate and multivariate logistic regression modeling for opinions about the reliability of health-related resources on the Internet and about the use of Internet/e-mail for communication between a physician and a patient.
| Variable | Information related to medical conditions and their therapies available on the Internet is usually reliable# (‘agree’ vs. ‘other opinion’) | Physician may provide advice to a patient via Internet/e-mail# (‘agree’ vs. ‘other opinion’) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unadjusted OR (95%CI) | p | Adjusted OR (95%CI)* | p | Unadjusted OR (95%CI) | p | Adjusted OR (95%CI)† | p | |
| Gender | ||||||||
| Female | ||||||||
| Male | 1.08 (0.44–2.69) | 0.87 | 1.97 (0.75–5.19) | 0.17 | 1.08 (0.44–2.69) | 0.87 | 1.06 (0.41–2.73) | 0.91 |
| Number of employment sites | ||||||||
| 1 | ||||||||
| >1 | 0.63 (0.40–1.00) | 0.052 | 0.59 (0.34–0.99) | 0.045 | 1.28 (0.80–2.04) | 0.30 | 1.34 (0.81–2.21) | 0.26 |
| Main place of employment | ||||||||
| Other than hospital | ||||||||
| Hospital | 1.28 (0.86–1.90) | 0.22 | 1.33 (0.85–2.08) | 0.21 | 1.07 (0.71–1.59) | 0.76 | 1.17(0.75–1.81) | 0.50 |
| Age | ||||||||
| ≤ 35 | ||||||||
| > 35 to 42 | 2.40 (1.55–3.72) | <0.001 | 2.55 (1.60–4.07) | <0.001 | 0.95 (0.61–1.47) | 0.81 | 1.03 (0.65–1.63) | 0.90 |
| > 42 to 47 | 1.75 (1.10–2.78) | 0.018 | 2.09 (1.27–3.44) | 0.004 | 0.78 (0.48–1.25) | 0.30 | 0.83 (0.51–1.37) | 0.47 |
| > 47 | 1.75 (1.12–2.74) | 0.014 | 2.65 (1.60–4.40) | <0.001 | 0.99 (0.63–1.55) | 0.95 | 1.25 (0.76–2.05) | 0.38 |
| Location of medical center | ||||||||
| rural | ||||||||
| urban | 0.71 (0.52–0.98) | 0.036 | 0.81 (0.57–1.15) | 0.24 | 0.71 (0.51–0.98) | 0.038 | 0.68 (0.48–0.96) | 0.030 |
| Duration of Internet use | ||||||||
| no use or ≤ 1 year | ||||||||
| >1 to 2 years | 1.31 (0.65–2.66) | 0.46 | 1.07 (0.51–2.25) | 0.87 | 1.38 (0.65–2.92) | 0.40 | 1.34 (0.62–2.91) | 0.46 |
| >2 to 5 years | 2.49 (1.53–4.05) | <0.001 | 2.73 (1.62–4.60) | <0.001 | 1.92 (1.15–3.22) | 0.013 | 1.81 (1.06–3.11) | 0.031 |
| >5 to 10 years | 2.14 (1.32–3.46) | 0.002 | 2.91 (1.71–4.94) | <0.001 | 1.89 (1.13–3.15) | 0.015 | 1.73 (1.01–2.99) | 0.048 |
| > 10 years | 2.10 (1.19–3.70) | 0.011 | 2.94 (1.58–5.46) | 0.001 | 2.42 (1.34–4.37) | 0.003 | 2.29 (1.23–4.26) | 0.009 |
# Binomial variable originating from initial variable used in the questionnaire after collapsing five categories of the Likert scale (“1” = “agree” corresponding with”strongly agree” or”rather agree” and”0” = “other opinion” corresponding with”strongly disagree”,”rather disagree” or”neither agree nor disagree”)
* Hosmer-Lemeshow test, chi2 = 8.18, df = 8, p = 0.42
† Hosmer-Lemeshow test, chi2 = 5.52, df = 8 p = 0.70
Abbreviations: OR–odds ratio, 95%CI–95% confidence interval