Check (it) yourself before you wreck yourself: The benefits of online health information exposure on risk perception and intentions to protect oneself

Abstract

The current study contributes to a better understanding of health information acquisition (HIA) and ongoing public policy debates about the usefulness of online health information. We distinguish between types of health knowledge (i.e., objective vs. subjective knowledge) and health information sources (information on the Internet vs. information from a Health Professional's office visit), to examine risk perceptions and health behavior outcomes (i.e., health information seeking intentions, general prevention intentions, and vaccination intentions). Using the human papillomavirus, one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the US among men and women aged 18–26 years, as the health context, field survey data were collected through a US online consumer panel and analyzed via structural equation modeling. We find that factually correct health information acquired by a health professional's office visit (rather than the Internet) leads to reduced risk perceptions, with potentially detrimental effects on health behavior change outcomes. Conversely, perceptions of knowledge acquired through the Internet (rather than information from a health professional's office), leads to enhanced risk perceptions with positive impacts on health behavior change outcomes. We discuss how this discrepancy can lead to a conundrum for public policy and efforts to effectively communicate health risks to individuals.