Avoiding Health Information

This study investigated why and how individuals avoid health information to support the development of models of uncertainty and information management and offer insights for those dealing with the information and uncertainty inherent to health and illness. Participants from student (n = 507) and co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health communication Vol. 17; no. 2; pp. 212 - 229
Main Authors: Barbour, Joshua B., Rintamaki, Lance S., Ramsey, Jason A., Brashers, Dale E.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Philadelphia, PA Taylor & Francis Group 01.02.2012
Taylor & Francis
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Building management
Communication
Female
Health
Health care
Health Communication
Health education
Health information
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Status
Humans
Illness
Illnesses
Information
Information management
Information Seeking Behavior
Male
Management
Medical sciences
Miscellaneous
Prevention and actions
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Studies
Surveys
Uncertainty
Young Adult
Human
Prevention
Information
Public health
Communication
ISSN:1081-0730, 1087-0415, 1087-0415
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This study investigated why and how individuals avoid health information to support the development of models of uncertainty and information management and offer insights for those dealing with the information and uncertainty inherent to health and illness. Participants from student (n = 507) and community (n = 418) samples reported that they avoided health information to (a) maintain hope or deniability, (b) resist overexposure, (c) accept limits of action, (d) manage flawed information, (e) maintain boundaries, and (f) continue with life/activities. They also reported strategies for avoiding information, including removing or ignoring stimuli (e.g., avoiding people who might provide health advice) and controlling conversations (e.g., withholding information, changing the subject). Results suggest a link between previous experience with serious illness and health information avoidance. Building on uncertainty management theory, this study demonstrated that health information avoidance is situational, relatively common, not necessarily unhealthy, and may be used to accomplish multiple communication goals.
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ISSN:1081-0730
1087-0415
1087-0415
DOI:10.1080/10810730.2011.585691