Table 2.
Sources, frequency, reasons, and unintentional exposure to health information via Internet access and use by sexual orientation.
| Sources and frequency of Internet access | n (%) or mean (SD) | X2/ t | df | P | |||
| Sexual minority | Heterosexual | ||||||
| Accesses Internet | 97 (92.4) | 2702 (79.4) | 10.64 | 1 | <.001 | ||
| Average number of hours accessed Internet | |||||||
| Weekday | 4.18 (4.32) | 2.79 (3.52) | -3.21 | 105 | <.01 | ||
| Weekend | 4.92 (3.90) | 3.69 (4.37) | -2.81 | 3380 | <.01 | ||
| Where accesses Internet | |||||||
| Computer at home | 90 (95.7) | 2417 (92.5) | 1.42 | 1 | .32 | ||
| Mobile device | 75 (81.5) | 1984 (76.5) | 1.26 | 1 | .32 | ||
| Computer at work | 54 (58.7) | 1269 (49.8) | 2.82 | 1 | .11 | ||
| Computer at school, public space | 24 (26.1) | 396 (15.5) | 7.37 | 1 | .01 | ||
| Gaming device | 21 (22.8) | 397 (15.5) | 3.55 | 1 | .08 | ||
| Computer at school, private space | 12 (13.3) | 201 (8.0) | 3.26 | 1 | .08 | ||
| Other | 7 (9.2) | 105 (4.9) | 2.88 | 1 | .10 | ||
| Noticed and read health information on Internet | 62 (59.0) | 1562 (45.9) | 1.63 | 1 | .21 | ||
| How often read health information online | 1 | ||||||
| Once a month | 40 (65.6) | 1000 (64.9) | 0.01 | 1.00 | |||
| Less than once a month | 21 (34.4) | 541 (35.1) | 0.01 | 1.00 | |||
| Used Internet last time sought health information | 74 (89.2) | 1669 (68.6) | 15.97 | 1 | <.001 | ||
| Contacted doctor or health care provider last time sought health information | 3 (3.6) | 426 (17.5) | 10.95 | 1 | <.001 | ||
| Reasons for Internet use | |||||||
| Seeking health information for self | 77 (88.1) | 2076 (78.3) | 0.41 | 1 | .53 | ||
| Seeking health information for someone else | 57 (60.0) | 1728 (65.3) | 1.12 | 1 | .32 | ||
| Kept track of personal health information | 51 (54.3) | 1257 (47.5) | 1.68 | 1 | .21 | ||
| Exchanged support about health concerns with family/friends | 49 (52.1) | 1237 (46.7) | 1.06 | 1 | .34 | ||
| Used website to help with diet, weight, or physical activity | 47 (49.5) | 1163 (44.0) | 1.13 | 1 | .30 | ||
| Seeking health care provider | 42 (44.7) | 943 (35.9) | 3.02 | 1 | .10 | ||
| Watched a health-related video on YouTube | 35 (37.2) | 593 (22.5) | 11.21 | 1 | .001 | ||
| Shared health information on social media sites | 17 (18.1) | 391 (14.8) | 0.79 | 1 | .38 | ||
| Downloaded health information | 14 (14.7) | 397 (15.0) | 0.00 | 1 | 1.00 | ||
| Seeking information about quitting smoking | 9 (9.6) | 160 (6.1) | 1.93 | 1 | .18 | ||
| Participation in online forum/support group | 4 (4.2) | 135 (5.1) | 0.15 | 1 | .82 | ||
| Frequency of unintentional health information seeking | |||||||
| Unintentionally noticed health information | 62 (59.0) | 1562 (58.0) | 1.63 | 1 | .21 | ||
| How often read this type of information | 1 | ||||||
| Once a month or more | 40 (65.6) | 1000 (64.9) | 0.01 | 1.00 | |||
| Less than once a month | 21 (34.4) | 541 (35.1) | 0.01 | 1.00 | |||