Objectives. We examined how different types of health information–seeking
behaviors (HISBs)—no use, illness information only, wellness information only,
and illness and wellness information combined—are associated with health risk
factors and health indicators to determine possible motives for health information
seeking.
Methods. A sample of 559 Seattle–Tacoma area adults completed an Internetbased
survey in summer 2006. The survey assessed types of HISB, physical and
mental health indicators, health risks, and several covariates. Covariate-adjusted
linear and logistic regression models were computed.
Results. Almost half (49.4%) of the sample reported HISBs. Most HISBs (40.6%)
involved seeking a combination of illness and wellness information, but both
illness-only (28.6%) and wellness-only (30.8%) HISBs were also widespread.
Wellness-only information seekers reported the most positive health assessments
and the lowest occurrence of health risk factors. An opposite pattern
emerged for illness-only information seekers.
Conclusions. Our findings reveal a unique pattern of linkages between the
type of health information sought (wellness, illness, and so on) and health selfassessment
among adult Internet users in western Washington State. These
associations suggest that distinct health motives may underlie HISB, a phenomenon
frequently overlooked in previous research.