Prevalence, Determinants and Benefits of Use of Internet for Health-Related Information Among Adults in Abuja, Nigeria

Seeking health information on the internet has become wide spread among people of young age especially because of the infiltration and advancement of ICT in Sub-Saharan Africa, though only few studies have examined these developments.Most literatures on the use of the internet for seeking health related information is largely concentrated on developed countries.This study determined the prevalence, determinants and benefits of internet use for health-related information among adults in Abuja, Nigeria.A cross-sectional descriptive study was adopted to achieve the objectives of the study from a sample of 355 respondents.Data was collected through the use of a structured questionnaire and it was analysed with the use of SPSS version 23.0.Findings indicate that the prevalence of internet use for health-related purposes by adults in Abuja, Nigeria, was 81.4%.The frequency of use of the internet for health purposes was reported to be everyday by more than half (54%) of the adults in Abuja, Nigeria.The use of the internet for health-related purposes was found to be influenced by the age, religion and educational status of the respondents (P = 0.004, 0.002 and 0.002 respectively).The knowledge of the use of internet for health-related purposes by adults in Abuja, Nigeria, was high (95.1%).Almost all (97.7%) of the respondents knew the correct description of internet services and the major device that was used to access the internet were mainly iPhone android (43.1%), phone (24.0%) and laptop (20.0%).The most reported factors influencing the use of the internet for health-related issues by the adults in Abuja, Nigeria, were dealing with health issues (34.6%),lack of funds to pay for healthcare service (29.1%), to maintain privacy (22.0%) and too busy to visit a hospital (19.1%).Increased knowledge on health topics, informed decision-making (39.7%), improve doctor-patient relationship (37.1%) and compliance with medication (23.4%) were identified as the major benefits associated with the use of the internet for health-related purposes (62.3%).The prevalence of internet use for health-related information among adults in Abuja, Nigeria, was high.However, it was significantly influenced by the age, religion and educational status of the respondents.Thus, there is need to promote e-health in the country as a viable platform for health interventions and healthcare.This would ease the pressure and congestion that characterize physical healthcare services in the country, leading to overall improvement in healthcare delivery.There is also need for a thorough evaluation of the various websites, apps, and platforms that are health related, so that those that are not health-enhancing could be avoided.