Frequency of Internet Use and Cancer Information Seeking Among U.S. Adults: A Nationally Representative Analysis of the 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS-7)

Background: Rising cancer diagnoses and survivorship have increased demand for reliable cancer information. Online platforms offer resources that can strengthen health information and engagement; however, variable information quality, misinformation, and unequal digital access remain concerns. Little is known about how internet-use frequency, device type, and cancer history associate with cancer information seeking. Objective: To examine how internet-use frequency, device type, and personal cancer history associate with cancer information seeking. Methods: This study uses nationally representative data from 7245 respondents, weighted to represent approximately a sample of 261,682,768 US adults in the 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey 7 (HINTS 7). Weighted adjusted logistic regression was used to examine associations between cancer information seeking, internet-use frequency, and personal cancer history. Results: The odds of seeking cancer information are statistically significantly higher among those who use the internet more than once per day (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.12–5.36). Individuals with a personal history of cancer also have significantly higher odds of seeking cancer information (aOR = 3.75; 95% CI: 1.23–11.5) than those with no cancer history. However, personal cancer history does not modify the relationship between internet-use frequency and seeking cancer information, suggesting that frequent daily internet exposure among US adults may independently affect the odds of seeking cancer information, regardless of personal cancer history. The proportion of participants seeking cancer information also increases significantly (p < 0.001) with educational attainment, from 24.8% among those with, at most, an 11th-grade education to 64.6% among college graduates. The odds of seeking cancer information were statistically significantly higher for college graduates (aOR = 3.06; 95% CI: 1.66–5.61), compared with those with ≤11 grades. Conclusions: Frequent internet use was associated with cancer information seeking, and there was no statistically detectable difference across personal cancer history. Public health efforts should prioritize improving digital health literacy, expanding access to credible online resources, and using culturally tailored strategies to reach populations less likely to seek cancer information.