Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41196508›Full record

ArticleJournal of cancer survivorship : research and practice2025

Digital information-seeking behaviors among cancer survivors: associations with sociodemographic determinants, cancer history, and perceived health.

Roberto M Benzo, Macy K Tetrick, Jessica L Krok-Schoen, Theodore M Brasky, Peter Washington, Electra D Paskett, Frank J Penedo, Rujul Singh, Michael Shechtman, Soledad A Fernandez and 3 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Roberto M BenzoDivision of Cancer Prevention and Control, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. Roberto.Benzo@osumc.edu.
Macy K TetrickDivision of Cancer Prevention and Control, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Jessica L Krok-SchoenThe Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Theodore M BraskyDivision of Medical Oncology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
Peter WashingtonDivision of Clinical Informatics and Digital Transformation, Department of Medicine, University of California , San Francisco, CA, USA.
Electra D PaskettDivision of Cancer Prevention and Control, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Frank J PenedoDepartments of Psychology and Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
Rujul SinghDivision of Cancer Prevention and Control, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Michael ShechtmanDivision of Cancer Prevention and Control, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Soledad A FernandezDepartment of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Sachin KumarComputer Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Mahkameh MallahzadehDivision of Cancer Prevention and Control, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
James L FisherArthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study aimed to examine general and digital information-seeking behaviors among U.S. cancer survivors and assess how these behaviors are patterned by sociodemographic and clinical factors. The study addressed a key gap in prior research by using registry-confirmed cancer data to explore disparities in digital engagement.

methodsData were drawn from the 2021 Health Information National Trends Survey-Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (HINTS-SEER), which included 1,234 cancer survivors from three SEER registries. Multivariable logistic regression models evaluated associations between information-seeking (general and digital) and sociodemographic (e.g., age, sex, income) and clinical factors (e.g., cancer site, stage at diagnosis, treatment effects).

resultsMost survivors (77.8%) reported having sought cancer-related information, and 73.9% used digital tools to look for health information. Survivors who were younger, female, more educated, and with higher income were significantly more likely to engage in both general and digital information-seeking when compared to older, male, or less educated. Survivors reporting cancer- and treatment-related nausea or neuropathy were more likely to engage in information-seeking when compared to survivors without these symptoms.

conclusionsCancer survivors' engagement in information-seeking, especially through digital tools, is shaped by heterogeneity in age, sex, education, income, and clinical experiences. These findings highlight the persistence of the digital divide in survivorship care. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Equity-focused efforts are needed to support digital access and literacy among underserved survivors. Tailored interventions, plain-language digital content, and provider-facilitated referrals to digital evidence-based resources may help bridge informational gaps and enhance survivorship self-management.

Indexed as

Cancer communicationCancer informationCancer survivorsHealth information seeking

Identifiers

PMID41196508

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.