The knowledge-behavior gap in use of health information
Journal of the American Society for Information Science
Believe it or not: factors influencing credibility on the Web
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Information Seeking: An Organizational Dilemma
Information Seeking: An Organizational Dilemma
The Control Revolution: How the Internet is Putting Individuals in Charge and Changing the World We Know
The Internet and Health Communication
The Internet and Health Communication
From here to obscurity?: media substitution theory and traditional media in an on-line world
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Fields and pathways: contrasting or complementary views of information seeking
Information Processing and Management: an International Journal
Internet information and communication behavior during a political moment: The Iraq war, March 2003
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Collection of family health histories: The link between genealogy and public health
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Fields and pathways: Contrasting or complementary views of information seeking
Information Processing and Management: an International Journal
Telematics and Informatics
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The diffusion of the Internet has radically expanded the readily available sources for information of all types. Information that was once obtained second-hand from friends and acquaintances--the traditional "two-step flow"--is now found easily through the Internet. The authors make use of survey data to explore this thesis in regards to information sources about genetic testing and the influence of the Internet on the information seeking behaviors of the public. A telephone survey of a random sample of 882 adults asked them about their knowledge of, concerns about, and interest in genetic testing. Respondents were most likely to first turn to the Internet for information about cancer genetics, second to public libraries, and third to medical doctors. Overall, doctors were the most likely source to be consulted when second and third choices are considered. Age, income, and self-reported understanding of genetics are shown to be predictors of whether someone goes to medical professionals for advice, rather than to the Internet or public library. The results raise questions about the apparent tendency of the public to regard the Internet as the best source of information on complex topics like genetics, for which it may be ill-suited.