ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the various interpersonal and media sources used by the public to gather healthcare reform information in relation to individuals' amount of information-seeking, beliefs about the provision of reliable, quality information, and level of uncertainty about healthcare reform. In terms of health information-seeking, individuals employ a variety of sources. In a study of breast cancer patients, high monitors were more likely to use newspapers and magazines as cancer information sources than low monitors. Researchers at Chapman University collected these data, as part of a larger study on public perceptions of healthcare reform. Information source about healthcare reform was measured using items adapted from Dutta-Bergman. Another healthcare reform research topic is to compare information management and usage behaviors of individuals who are healthy to those with acute and chronic health conditions. Tailoring different healthcare reform messages for passive media sources, such as TV and radio, may also target individuals with a low health orientation.
