The Roles of Education, Literacy, and Numeracy in Need for Health Information during the Second Half of Adulthood: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

Abstract

We examine complex pathways that link health information seeking behavior with education and health literacy (decomposed into general literacy and numeracy), and how these pathways differ by perceived health status (need) among a nationally representative sample of Americans age 50 and older (n = 2,750). Data come from the Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Multi-group structural equation models were used to examine the use of eight health information sources (newspapers, magazines, internet, radio, TV, books, friends/family, and health professionals). Findings partially support the long-standing notion that health seeking behaviors are directly linked to educational attainment, and provide some of the first nationally representative evidence for how education functions through distinct health literacy components to shape health information seeking behaviors by health status. Findings from this moderated mediation analysis point to the importance of examining, and addressing, health literacy disparities in access to and use of health information.