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Isolated and Skeptical: Social Engagement and Trust in Information Sources Among Smokers

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Abstract

Our study compared indicators of social engagement and trust among current, former, and never smokers. Multinomial regression analyses of data from the 2005 U.S. Health Information National Trends Survey (n = 5586) were conducted to identify independent associations between social engagement, trust in health information sources, and smoking status. Never smokers (odds ratio (OR) = 2.08) and former smokers (OR = 2.48) were significantly more likely to belong to community organizations than current smokers. Never (OR = 4.59) and former smokers (OR = 1.96) were more likely than current smokers to attend religious services. Never smokers (OR = 1.38) were significantly more likely than current smokers to use the Internet. Former smokers (OR = 1.41) were more likely than current smokers to be married. Compared to current smokers, never smokers were significantly more likely to trust health care professionals (OR = 1.52) and less likely to trust the Internet (OR=0.59) for health information. Current smokers are less socially engaged and less trusting of information resources than non-smokers.

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Acknowledgments

This project has been funded in part with federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health under contract no. HHSN261200800001E. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Declaration of Interests

The authors do not have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Monitoring Research Program, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., NCI-Frederick, Frederick, MD, 21704, USA

    Lila J. Finney Rutten

  2. Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Kelly Blake & Bradford W. Hesse

  3. Department of Community Health and Sustainability, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA

    Leland K. Ackerson

  4. 6130 Executive Blvd., MSC 7365, Bethesda, MD, 20892–7365, USA

    Lila J. Finney Rutten

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  1. Lila J. Finney Rutten
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  2. Kelly Blake
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  4. Leland K. Ackerson
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Correspondence to Lila J. Finney Rutten.

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Rutten, L.J.F., Blake, K., Hesse, B.W. et al. Isolated and Skeptical: Social Engagement and Trust in Information Sources Among Smokers. J Canc Educ 26, 465–473 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-011-0201-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-011-0201-7

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