A Profile of Non-Seekers of Health Information Among the United States Foreign-Born Population

Abstract

This study attempted to uncover the characteristics of health information non-seekers among the United States foreign-born population and identify potential predictors of their non-seeking behavior. The trends of foreign-born health information non-seekers over the past twelve years were also examined. Statistical analysis was conducted with two sets of Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) data: HINTS 2 (2005) and HINTS 5 Cycle 1 (2017) datasets. It was found that foreign-born non-seekers differ from foreign-born seekers in terms of a variety of variables including education, income, English proficiency, the uses of Internet and social media, ownership of digital devices, ownership of health insurance, perceived health status, and level of trust in health information sources. Among them, education, Internet use, and trust in online health information were identified as predictors of the foreign-born population’s non-seeking of health information. In addition, three variables - race/ethnicity, age, and place of accessing the Internet - which were significant factors in the 2005 dataset, were no longer significant in the 2017 dataset, implying the possible influence of smartphones that reduces Internet accessibility gaps among different racial/ethnic and age groups.