Health Information Behavior in a Metropolis: Trust in Sources and Critical Assessment of Information in the Digital Environment

Background. The population’s ability to critically assess health information and choose reliable sources is becoming a key factor to preserving public health in the context of the digital transformation of healthcare and the overwhelming amount of medical information available on the Internet and social media.

Objective. To evaluate the health information behavior among Orenburg residents and to identify their sociodemo­graphic determinants.

Materials and methods. A sociological survey of 500 Orenburg residents aged 18-75 years was conducted using a formalized interview method. A structured questionnaire was used, which in­cludes blocks on health information sources and trust in doctors, medical bloggers and social media, as well as practices for verifying the reliability of medical information. Statistical processing was performed using the Statistica 10.0.

Results. Social media and messengers were the main sources of health information for 52.8% of respondents, while only 35.6% of respondents trusted doctors as a source of information. 28.6% of respondents expressed confidence in medical bloggers as much as doctors, with another 16.4% trusting them more than doctors. Just 38.6% of respondents verified the accuracy of medical information from the Internet. Significant age and educational differences in source selection and critical attitude toward information were revealed.

Conclusion. With social media dominating as a source of health information, the majority of the population does not regularly practice verifying medical content. The most vulnerable groups are individuals aged 18-29 years and those with low levels of education, thus targeted measures to improve digital health literacy are needed.

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