Foreword
ROBERT T. CROYLE
In 2001, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) initiated
the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), the first-ever
survey to collect nationally representative information on the American
public’s need for, access to, and use of cancer information.The
launching of HINTS was one component of a larger NCI initiative designed
to accelerate progress in the science of cancer communication —
the Institute’s Extraordinary Opportunity in Cancer Communication,
described in The Nations Investment in Cancer Research for Fiscal
Year 2002: Plans & Priorities for Cancer Research. The survey,
which is currently conducted every two years, provides unique information
about how messages on cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment,
and survivorship are being received by the public.The acronym suggests
its purpose:to provide important insights, or hints, into the health
information needs and practices of the American public.
Led by Dr. Bradford W. Hesse, Chief of NCI ’s Health
Communication and Informatics Research Branch, along with an outstanding
team of investigators within and outside NCI, the survey provides an
invaluable snapshot of how adults use the myriad information resources
around them to learn about cancer and lead healthier lives.
In early 2004, NCI made public our dataset from the first
survey, and, since then, numerous researchers have used HINTS to analyze
how people use mass media, the Internet, and personal channels for health
information purposes.HINTS reflects NCI ’s commitment to public
data sharing and dissemination by making the science of cancer communication
easily accessible to multiple audiences.
This special issue of the Journal of Health Communication
includes key research findings from data generated by the first HINTS
in the areas of cancer knowledge, cognition, risk perception, information
seeking, and communication.The articles describe findings from collaborative
research and analyses that will serve as invaluable educational resources
for health communication specialists in tailoring of materials, pilot
attempts to reduce the digital divide, and studies that increase our
understanding of information-seeking behaviors and preferences.
Understanding the American public ’s awareness and
use of cancer-related information is essential to our goal to eliminate
suffering and death due to cancer.We look forward to continued collaboration
with researchers and practitioners to use HINTS to improve our cancer
communication strategies and hope that this special issue will help
to inform your own work in communication science.
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Robert T.Croyle, PhD, Director of the Division of Cancer Control and
Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute.
