HINTS: HINTS Questions

Health Communication

This section provides data from the 2003, 2005 & 2007 HINTS surveys, including survey numbers, respondent characteristics, estimated U.S. population numbers, charts, and trends.

Health Communication
	Asked in 2003?	Asked in 2005?	Asked in 2007?
When you hear or read a new recommendation about nutrition, are you more likely to pay attention to it or to ignore it?		[EB-16]
When you hear or read a new recommendation about physical activity or exercise, are you more likely to pay attention to it or to ignore it?		[EB-16]
There are so many different messages about whether being overweight is harmful to one's health it is hard to know what weight one should maintain to be healthy.			[BR11b]
On a typical weekday, about how many hours do you watch television?	[HC-06a]	[HC-01a]
On a typical weekday, about how many hours do you listen to the radio?	[HC-06b]	[HC-01b]
During a typical weekend, about how many hours do you watch television?		[HC-02a]
During a typical weekend, about how many hours do you listen to the radio?		[HC-02b]
During a typical weekend, about how many hours do you use the Internet for personal reasons?		[HC-02c]
In the past seven days, how many days did you read a newspaper?	[HC-07a]	[HC-03a]
In the past seven days, how many days did you watch the national news on television?		[HC-03b]
In the past seven days, how many days did you watch the local news on television?		[HC-03c]
In the past 12 months, have you read health sections of the newspaper or of a general magazine?		[HC-04]
About how often have you read such health sections in the past 12 months? Would you say once or more per week, or less than once per week?		[HC-05]
Some local television news programs include special segments of their newscasts that focus on health issues. In the past 12 months, have you watched health segments on the local news?		[HC-08]
How often have you watched health segments on local news in the past 12 months?		[HC-09]
Some people notice information about health on the Internet, even when they are not trying to find out about a health concern they have or someone in the family has. Have you read such health information on the Internet in the past 12 months?		[HC-10]
About how often have you read this sort of information in the past 12 months?		[HC-11]
In general, how much would you trust information about health or medical topics from a doctor or other health care professional? Would you say a lot, some, a little, or not at all?		[HC-13a]	[HC07a]
In general, how much would you trust information about health or medical topics from family or friends?		[HC-13b]	[HC07b]
How much would you trust information about health or medical topics in newspapers?		[HC-13c]
How much would you trust information about health or medical topics in magazines?		[HC-13d]
In general, how much would you trust information about health or medical topics on the radio?		[HC-13e]	[HC07d]
In general, how much would you trust information about health or medical topics on the Internet?		[HC-13f]	[HC07e]
In general, how much would you trust information about health or medical topics on television?		[HC-13g]	[HC07f]
In the past seven days, how many days did you read a magazine?	[HC-07b]
How much attention do you pay to information about health or medical topics on TV?	[HC-08a]
How much attention do you pay to information about health or medical topics on the radio?	[HC-08b]
How much attention do you pay to information about health or medical topics in newspapers?	[HC-08c]
How much attention do you pay to information about health or medical topics in magazines?	[HC-08d]
How much attention do you pay to information about health or medical topics on the Internet?	[HC-08e]
Have you ever looked for information about health or medical topics from any source?			[HC01]
The most recent time you looked for information about health or medical topics, where did you go first?			[HC02]
Did you look or go anywhere else?			[HC02b]
Where else did you look or go?			[HC03]
The most recent time you looked for information about health or medical topics was it for...			[HC04]
Based on the results of your most recent search for information about health or medical topics, how much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? It took a lot of effort to get the information you needed.			[HC05a]
...You felt frustrated during your search for the information.			[HC05b]
...You were concerned about the quality of the information.			[HC05c]
...The information you found was hard to understand.			[HC05d]
Overall, how confident are you that you could get health-related advice or information if you needed it?			[HC06]
In general, how much would you trust information about health or medical topics in newspapers or magazines?			[HC07c]
In general, how much would you trust information about health or medical topics from government health agencies?			[HC07g]
In general, how much would you trust information about health or medical topics from charitable organizations?			[HC07h]
In general, how much would you trust information about health or medical topics from religious organizations and leaders?			[HC07i]
Before being contacted for this study had you ever heard of the National Cancer Institute?	[HC-34d]	[CA-21c]	[HS27]
Before being contacted for this study, had you ever heard of the National Institutes of Health?	[HC-34a]
Have you heard or read about any genetic tests?			[HS22]
Have you ever heard of a clinical trial?			[HS25]
Before being contacted for this study had you ever heard of the CDC or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?			[HS28]
In the past 12 months, have you done the following things while using the Internet? Looked for health or medical information for yourself?	[HC-24a]	[HC-14a]
In the past 12 months, have you done the following things while using the Internet? Looked for health or medical information for someone else?	[HC-24b]	[HC-14b]
In the past 12 months, how often did you use the Internet to look for health or medical information {for yourself (or) someone else]?	[HC-25]
Looked for health or medical information?	[HC-26e]
When was the last time you used the Internet to look for information about health or medical care?	[HC-27]
The last time you used the Internet to look for information about health or medical care, was this from. . . home, from work, or from someplace else?	[HC-28]
Did you get to this web site by doing an Internet search, or did you find out about it some other way?	[HC-30]
In the past 12 months, how often have you used the Internet to look for advice or information about cancer?	[HC-32]
Why did you decide to use the Internet to look for information about cancer?	[HC-33]
Before being contacted for this survey, had you ever heard of telephone quit lines such as a toll-free number to call for help in quitting smoking?			[BR46]
Before being contacted for this survey, had you ever heard of 1-800-QUIT-NOW?			[BR53a]
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? �There are so many different recommendations about nutrition that it's hard to know which ones to follow.		[EB-18]
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement? �There are so many different recommendations about physical activity or exercise that it's hard to know which ones to follow. �		[EB-18]