Health Information Seeking on the Internet Among Patients With and Without Cancer in a Region Affected by the 2011 Fukushima Triple Disaster: Cross-Sectional Study.
Yudai KanedaAkihhiko OzakiMichio MurakamiToyoaki SawanoShuhei NomuraDivya BhandariHiroaki SaitoMasaharu TsubokuraKazue YamaokaYoshinori NakataManabu TsukadaHiromichi OhiraPublished in: JMIR cancer (2024)
This study reveals that a small proportion of both patients with cancer and patients without cancer engage in health information seeking via the internet, influenced by age, digital device use, and trust in institutional websites. Given the growing prevalence of digital literacy, strategies to enhance accessible and reliable web-based health information should be developed, particularly for patients with cancer in postdisaster settings. Future efforts should focus on tailored health communication strategies that address the unique needs of these populations.