Evaluating trust in health information sources among persons with a cancer diagnosis: An analysis of the HINTS database.

Abstract

e23342 Background: Trust in health information sources plays a critical role in how patients understand and adhere to their care plan. A cancer diagnosis often prompts patients to seek information within and beyond the clinical setting. The perceived trustworthiness of these sources can vary considerably and influences care decisions. To better understand how cancer patients trust information sources, national survey data such as the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) provide a valuable insight. This study aims to analyse the HINTS database to evaluate trust patterns and explore how they correlate with demographic factors. Methods: The 2025 HINTS dataset was used to identify participants with a cancer diagnosis. Weighted unadjusted proportions and means were used to produce descriptive and analytic statistics. Responses of “A lot” to questions on level of trust were categorized as “trusted” and other responses categorized as “not trusted”. Weighted multivariate logistic regression with jack-knife analysis was used to examine the association between sociodemographic factors and trust in information sources. Results: Information on cancer from doctors was the most trusted source of information, and information from religious organizations was least trusted. Hispanic race was associated with lower odds of trust in information from doctors and from scientists. Male sex was associated with lower odds of trust in information from scientists and government health agencies. Having a college degree was associated with higher odds of trust in information from scientists. Conclusions: This study shows that cancer patients of Hispanic origin had a lower level of trust for health information from doctors and scientists. It will be important for future research to explore possible factors contributing to this finding. Also, it is recommended for future research to include “birthplace” to see if this factor influences trust levels within people of same race. This study shows that male cancer patients had a relative lack of trust in health information from scientists and government health agencies. Patients without a college degree also had lower odds of trusting information from scientists. These findings need to be investigated further to identify possible factors behind them. Association between sociodemographic factors and trust in information sources. Variables Odds Ratio (95% CI) SE p-value Trust in Doctors Race White, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Hispanic Other Races (including multiracial) Ref0.61 (0.24, 1.61)0.40 (0.18, 0.91)0.62 (0.29, 1.32) 0.290.160.15 0.320.030.22 Trust in Scientists Race White, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Hispanic Other Races (including multiracial) Ref0.99 (0.37, 2.63)0.37 (0.18, 0.74)0.71 (0.35, 1.48) 0.480.130.26 0.98<0.010.36 Sex at birth Female Male Ref0.48 (0.32, 0.72) 0.09 <0.01 Educational Level No college degreeCollege degree and above Ref1.84 (1.17, 2.88) 0.42 <0.01 Trust in Government Health Agencies Sex at birth Female Male Ref0.57 (0.35, 0.94) 0.14 0.03