Health Information Seeking, Receipt, and Use in Diabetes Self-Management

Daniel R. Longo; Shari L. Schubert; Barbara A. Wright; Joseph LeMaster; Casey D. Williams; John N. Clore

doi:10.1370/afm.1115

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Figure 1.
Longo Health Information Model: information seeking, passive receipt, and use.
Adapted with permission from Blackwell Publishing. The figure was originally published in Longo, et al.¹²

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Table 1.

Demographic Characteristics of Focus Group Participants (n = 46)

Characteristic	Value
Note: Some participants did not respond to all questions, and some question had more than 1 response.
Age, average (range), y	61 (48–77)
Time since diagnosis, No. (%)
<1 y	3 (6.5)
≥1 y but <2 y	9 (19.6)
≥2 y but <3 y	5 (10.9)
≥3 y but <4 y	2 (4.3)
≥4 y but <5 y	1 (2.2)
≥5	26 (56.5)
Type of diabetes (self-described), No. (%)
Type 1	1 (2.2)
Type 2	34 (75.6)
Don’t know	10 (22.2)
Take insulin? (yes answers)	12 (26.7)
Take oral medication? (yes answers)	36 (87.8)
Received initial education… (yes answers; categories are not mutually exclusive), No. (%)
From doctor?	30 (68.2)
From nurse?	20 (51.3)
From dietician?	25 (65.8)
From diabetes educator	22 (59.5)
Sought additional information? (yes answers)	24 (54.5)
Sex, No. (%)
Male	16 (35.6)
Female	29 (64.4)
Ethnic background, No. (%)
African American/black	10 (21.7)
American Indian/Eskimo/Aleut	0 (0.0)
Asian/Pacific Islander	1 (2.2)
White	32 (69.6)
Latino/Hispanic	0 (0.0)
Other	3 (6.5)
Marital status, No. (%)
Married/living as married	26 (56.5)
Divorced	6 (13.0)
Separated	2 (4.3)
Widowed	7 (15.2)
Single, never married	5 (10.9)
Highest level of education, No. (%)
8th grade or less	2 (4.3)
Some high school (grade 9–12)	3 (6.5)
High school or general equivalency diploma	12 (26.1)
Vocational school or some college	12 (26.1)
College degree	9 (19.6)
Professional or graduate school experience	8 (17.4)
Estimated annual household income, No. (%)
<$15,000	17 (38.6)
$15,000–$29,999	8 (18.2)
$30,000–$49,999	7 (15.9)
$50,000–$74,999	7 (15.9)
≥$75,000	5 (11.4)
Have Internet access? (yes answers)	35 (76.1)

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Table 2.

Information Sources Cited by Focus Group Participants

Information Source
People
Physician
Nurse, nurse practitioner
Dietitian
Diabetes educator
Pharmacist
Dentist
Eye doctor, eye laser surgeon
Health care professional(s), specific role not indicated
Self, have had training as health professional or worked in medical field
Hospital-based diabetes center
Insurance company nurse, nurse, dietician, educator, wellness program personnel
Workplace nurse, health professional or wellness program
Family, including family members with diabetes
Friends, neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances, other patients, personal interaction, “word of mouth”
Classes or seminars
Support groups
Participation in research study
Comprehensive weight loss program
Health fair or similar event
Media
Internet (Web sites, search engines)
Information from organizations (eg, American Diabetes Association, American Kidney Foundation), other than from their Web sites
Books
Magazines (eg, Diabetes Forecast, Diabetes Self-Management, popular magazines—especially health/diet, cooking, women’s, African-American interest)
Television (eg, “D-Life,” news programs, talk shows, food-oriented shows)
Newspaper/newsmagazine articles
Booklets, brochures, etc, from clinic or health professionals
Booklets, brochures, newsletters, e-mail newsletters, etc, from miscellaneous sources (“in the mail”)
Information from pharmaceutical company, drugstore, medication supplier
Information from insurance company
Library
Bookstore
“Reading” or “studying” (type of material not specified)
“Media” or “articles” (not further specified)
Nutrition labels on food packages
Nutritional information pamphlet, fast foods
Product information (eg, Glucerna, information in insulin kit)
Atkins, South Beach diets
Reader’s Digest “Change One” program
Exercise videos
Printed reports of laboratory results

Additional Files

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Supplemental Appendixes 1-2

Supplemental Appendix 1. Focus Group Questionnaire; Supplemental Appendix 2. Focus Group Guide

Files in this Data Supplement:

Supplemental data: Appendixes 1-2 - PDF file, 4 pages
The Article in Brief

Health Information Seeking, Receipt, and Use in Diabetes Self-Management

Daniel R. Longo , and colleagues

Background Self-management is one of the keys to diabetes care, yet little is known about patient preferences for sources of health information, the extent to which patients seek information directly, or whether they receive information passively through various media sources. This study set out to identify how individuals with diabetes seek and use health care information.

What This Study Found Diabetes patients make decisions about disease self-management based on their current needs. They seek out information and receive it passively. Some of this information comes from diverse sources not traditionally viewed as providing health information, including the Internet, television, newspapers, and friends.

Implications

The researchers propose a more dynamic model of health-seeking behavior that reflects its nonlinear nature and the interplay of both active information seeking and passive receipt of information.