Public Retreating from Health Information?

The conventional wisdom in public relations and medical education is that consumers have an insatiable appetite for health information. I came across a study recently by the Center for Studying Health System Change that suggests the contrary: the public may have reached the saturation point in seeking medical information and may in fact be turning its back on information that explains medical conditions and treat alternatives.

The findings, published in January, said 50 percent of Americans sought information about personal health concerns, down from 56 percent in 2007. The percent of individuals searching hardcover books, newspapers and magazines declined by nearly 50 percent (to 18 percent) during this period.

While this might be explained by the general decline of paper-based media, online resources did not offset it, the use of which for health-seeking information only increased from 31 percent to 33 percent between 2007 and 2010. While the decline was seen across all demographic segments, older Americans, people with chronic diseases and the less educated led the retreat away from health information. The Center findings are supported by the Deloitte 2011 Survey of Health Care Consumers in the U.S. that found only 43 percent of Americans look online for information about treatment options –considerably less than the 55 percent use in 2009.

 What explains this retrenchment? The Center suggests one reason is the across-the-board decline in print media generally. It is true that the “news hole” for health news is shrinking in newspapers. But it is an incomplete explanation, since older people remain fans of to the printed word and can find alternatives when their local newspaper pink slips its health columnist.

 Another partial answer is that the recession and its aftershocks slowed down health spending generally-- Health Affairs last month reported the slowest growth in health spending in 51 years. If one can’t afford to go to the doctor, one also won’t wish read about his ailments? I think there are other explanations as well: We may have simply reached the saturation point: every consumer who is interested in health information is availing himself to it. (That may account for the plateauing of interest, but alas, not its decline.) Another possibility: We know there is an across the board decline of consumer trust of all information sources. While online sources were once immune, this may be changing as consumers try to hack through the thicket of health websites and often stumble on inaccurate articles, extraordinary claims and conflicting advice. Maybe, they might presume, the old way to get info was just fine: ask one’s doctor.

 What are the implications for public relations?

 We must continue to be students of “information anthropology,” closely examining the news gathering habits of specific groups or audiences and lay out for our clients the most likely and efficient ways to reach groups. This may mean discarding long held believes such as the importance of The New York Times and the newsweeklies; to be fair, it also may mean turning away from social media channels if definitive research suggests this is not where the eyeballs are.

 The media tracking monitoring services should see this as an opportunity to provide greater service by helping illuminate these channels. If the public is cynical about online health content, we must do a better job assuring them of the accuracy and appropriateness of content we are responsible for. Does this mean an industry-wide “Good Housekeeping Seal?” Perhaps, if that’s what it takes to build consumer confidence.