Social Science & Medicine 59 (2004) 1795–1806 Characteristics of online and offline health information seekers and factors that discriminate between them Shelia R. Cotten*, Sipi S. Gupta Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA Abstract Increasing number of individuals are using the internet to meet their health information needs; however, little is known about the characteristics of online health information seekers and whether they differ from individuals who search for health information from offline sources. Researchers must examine the primary characteristics of online and offline health information seekers in order to better recognize their needs, highlight improvements that may be made in the arena of internet health information quality and availability, and understand factors that discriminate between those who seek online vs. offline health information. This study examines factors that differentiate between online and offline health information seekers in the United States. Data for this study are from a subsample (n ¼ 385) of individuals from the 2000 General Social Survey. The subsample includes those respondents who were asked Internet and health seeking module questions. Similar to prior research, results of this study show that the majority of both online and offline health information seekers report reliance upon health care professionals as a source of health information. This study is unique in that the results illustrate that there are several key factors (age, income, and education) that discriminate between US online and offline health information seekers; this suggests that general ‘‘digital divide’’ characteristics influence where health information is sought. In addition to traditional digital divide factors, those who are healthier and happier are less likely to look exclusively offline for health information. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the digital divide and the patient–provider relationship. r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Health information seeking; Internet; Digital divide Introduction With the fast-paced progression of the information revolution and greater accessibility to the World Wide Web (WWW), individuals are increasingly turning to the Internet to satisfy a variety of informational, commu- nication, and entertainment needs. Its speedy expansion has generated ‘‘an information revolution of unprece- dented magnitude’’ (Jadad & Gagliardi, 1998, p. 611). Individuals utilize this powerful tool to keep in touch with and expand social support networks, keep updated with sporting and news events on an international level, and search for various types of information to assist them in their daily lives. In addition, the Internet has been identified as a practical tool for connecting with many low-income, less educated, and minority indivi- duals to disseminate health information (Zarcadoolas, Blanco, Boyer, & Pleasant, 2002; Brodie, Altman, Blendon, Benson, & Rosenbaum, 2000). Prior research indicates that there is great potential to utilize the Internet to aid in disseminating health information to the public at large (Fox & Fallows, 2003; Cotten, 2001; Brodie et al., 2000). As this medium for conveying information continues to grow in acces- sibility and popularity, a more complete understanding is required of the extent to which online health information is penetrating people’s lives, the scope of the impact it will have on them, and implications of ARTICLE IN PRESS *Corresponding author. Tel.: +410-455-6330; fax: +410- 455-1154. E-mail address: cotten@umbc.edu (S.R. Cotten). 0277-9536/$-see front matter r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.02.020