Table 1 Overview of variables

Dependent variable (HISB)

 Health information seeking

“Have you ever searched for health information on your own initiative?”

Single item, yes/no

 Cancer information seeking

“Have you ever searched for cancer information on your own initiative?”

Same as above

 Health information seeking from the internet

“Have you encountered health or medical information from [media source] in the past 12 months?”

4-category frequency scale, ranging from never (= 1) to always (= 4)

 Health information seeking from traditional media

Similar to above

Same as above

Independent variables: Social capital

 Structural components

 Bonding networks

“How many people live in your current residence, including yourself?”

Single item

 Bridging networks

“Apart from your family and relatives, how many people do you usually contact within a day?”

7-point scale was used ranging from None (= 1) to 100 or more persons (= 7)

 Organization memberships

Number of community groups or organizations they are currently in

3-point scale

 Cognitive components

 Emotional support

“When you need emotional support (e.g., need to discuss problems or make difficult decisions), is there anyone you can rely on?

Single item, yes/no or I am not sure

 Informational support

Respondents have friends or family members to discuss health issues

Same as above

Covariates

 Trust in health information

“What’s your degree of trust in the health information provided by [media source]?”

24 items (= information sources), each rated by a 5-point scale from very untrustworthy (= 1) to very trustworthy (= 5)

 Health information discussion

Frequency of discussing health-related issues with their family members or friends

Single item, 4 answer categories from 1 = never to 4 = always

 Health information acquisition from organizations

If any joined organizations or groups can provide them health information

Single item, yes/no or I am not sure