Trust in cancer information and source preference in later life

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between older adults’ trust in cancer information and their preference for sources of this type of information. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: The USA. Method: The data were obtained from Health Information National Trends Survey 5 Cycle 4 (2020). The sample included older Internet users (N = 1,223). Results: Higher trust in cancer information from doctors and from religious organisations and leaders, as well as lower trust in cancer information from government health agencies and charitable organisations related to a greater preference for doctors. Greater preference for the Internet was a function of lower trust in cancer information from doctors and higher trust in cancer information from government health agencies. Finally, lower trust in cancer information from doctors and higher trust in cancer information from charitable organisations were associated with greater preference for cancer organisations as a primary source of cancer information. Conclusion: The results imply that doctors represent an source of cancer information, trust in which plays an important role with respect to preference for other sources. The results generally suggest that the trust older adults put in cancer information from different sources appears as a major predictor of their preference for the source of this information.