Objectives: This study attempted to examine actual health information-seeking behavior in Japan. Methods: A randomized population-based, door-to-door survey was conducted in 2013. Twelve hundred Japanese individuals, aged 15-79, completed the questionnaire. The results were analyzed in comparison to the 2008 survey results. Results: Of the 1,197 respondents with valid responses, 48.0% actually sought health information within the last couple of years, more than half of whom sought information on diseases (77.2%) and on hospitals and doctors (56.3%). The Internet (58.7%) was a more popular source of information than were physicians (53.4%). Regarding the impact of the information, the majority of responses were "relieved or comforted" (46.2%). In total, 49.2%, slightly fewer than the 2008 survey, expressed willingness to read academic or professional articles written in English or Japanese, for free or a fee, when they or their loved ones were seriously ill. Conclusion: Although the Internet is used more extensively, the rate of health information seeking has not risen. Encouraging laypersons to use academic or professional articles has been repeatedly suggested.
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