Health information sharing – conceptual clarification and exploratory analysis in the context of mammography screening

Introduction. Information sharing is an important but under researched type of health information behaviour. In this study, we explore the characteristics of sharing behaviours, their reasons and determinants in the context of mammography screening. Method. We conducted a two-wave online survey with N = 1,136 women. In the first wave, women saw an invitation letter to mammography screening and behavioural determinants were captured with established scales. In the second wave, women reported on their information behaviour between the two waves, combining standardized and open-ended questions. Analysis. We performed qualitative content analysis and a stepwise logistic regression analysis. Results. About one-fifth of the sample shared information on mammography between the two survey waves. Qualitative results revealed different causes and purposes of information sharing. Quantitative results showed that issue importance, opinion leadership and different types of information retrieval were related to information sharing. Conclusions. The results shed light on two facets for the conceptual clarification of health information sharing: sharing in the sense of selecting and passing on information (cf. diffusion of information by opinion leaders) and sharing as the mutual exchange of opinions and experiences. Both facets should be considered to comprehensively examine health information sharing behaviours and their relation with informed decision-making.