Patrina HY Caldwell

Aim This study aimed to understand parents' online health information‐seeking behaviour and the potential influence of this on their relationship with their child's physician. Methods A survey regarding parental online health information‐seeking behaviour was administered to parents of children aged under 18 years admitted to an Australian tertiary paediatric hospital, paediatric hospital ward and paediatric clinic, and in their social media networks. Responses were presented as frequencies and percentages. Associations between parents' trust in their child's doctor and survey responses were analysed using χ 2 tests. Results In all, 300 surveys were completed. Most parents (89%) reported searching for online health information when their child was sick. Some (31%) followed online health information instead of going to the doctor. Parents who trusted their child's doctor were more likely to follow the doctor instead of online health information when it contained conflicting advice. Most parents (91%) wanted health‐care professionals' help in searching for online health information. Conclusion Almost all parents search for online health information, but most do not act on it. Parents' trust in their child's doctor influences how parents use online health information. Thus, clinicians could recommend trustworthy websites with information that complements their advice to ensure parents access reliable online health information.

Aim Health literacy is the ability to understand and interpret health information and navigate the health‐care system. Low health literacy is associated with poorer health knowledge and disease management, increased chronic illness, underutilisation of preventative health services and increased hospitalisations. The aim of the study is to review the available literature on the relationship between parental health literacy and health outcomes for children with chronic disease in high‐income countries (HIC) and low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC). Methods We systematically searched Medline, EMBASE and Web of Science, and assessed study quality using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. We reviewed all relevant studies, and identified themes using thematic analysis. Results Of 1167 studies assessed, 49 were included in the review. All studies were of adequate quality. Twenty‐two were from LMIC and 27 from HIC. Six themes were identified: Parental health literacy, parental education, socio‐economic conditions, identity and culture, family factors, and health behaviours. In both HIC and LMIC, lower parental health literacy was associated with poorer child health outcomes. Disease‐specific knowledge was found in a number of papers to directly impact parent health behaviour and child health outcomes, and may mitigate the effects of low parental health literacy. Conclusion There is a clear link between parental health literacy, health behaviour and health outcomes for children with chronic disease. Disease‐specific knowledge as a target for health‐care interventions holds promise for application in low‐resourced settings with parents (particularly mothers) who have lower health literacy, where disease‐specific education may improve child health outcomes, although more research is required to determine how we can best facilitate these programmes.