Health Information Seeking Behavior on Social Networking Sites and Self-Treatment: Pilot Survey Study

Social networking site use and social network-based health information seeking behavior have proliferated to the point that the lines between seeking health information from credible social network-based sources and the decision to seek medical care or attempt to treat oneself have become blurred. We contribute to emerging research on health information seeking behavior by investigating demographic factors, social media use for health information seeking purposes, and the relationship between health information seeking and occurrences of self-treatment. Data were collected from an online survey in which participants were asked to describe sociodemographic factors about themselves, social media use patterns, perceptions about their motivations for health information seeking on social media platforms, and whether or not they attempted self-treatment after their social media-related health information seeking. We conducted a binomial logistic regression with self-treatment as a dichotomous categorical dependent variable. Results indicate that significant predictors of self-treatment based on information obtained from social networking sites include race, exercise frequency, and degree of trust in the health-related information received. With an understanding of how sociodemographic factors might influence the decision to self-treat based on information obtained from social networking sites, health care providers can assist patients by educating them on credible social network-based sources of health information and discussing the importance of seeking medical advice from a health care provider.