[The internet as a source of health information: results of a household survey in Brazilian municipalities in the South and Central-West regions].

Wide access to online information favors the search for health content. The aims of the present study were to identify the profile of internet use and degree of difficulty in the search for health information by adults, describing the main contents sought and means used, and to investigate associations with sociodemographic/medical characteristics and degree of health literacy. A household survey was conducted in five municipalities in the South and Central-West regions of Brazil. The questionnaire included demographic and socioeconomic data, internet use, and degree of health literacy. Descriptive analyses and Poisson regression were performed to estimate prevalence ratios. A total of 1,181 individuals were included. Women, age between 18 and 39 years, eight or more years of schooling, high economic class, White race, good self-rated health, and problematic health literacy predominated in the sample. A total of 92.3% had access to the internet and 77.1% of these individuals used the internet to search for health information. The most searched topics were symptoms (89.1%) and medications (84.5%). The search tools most used were Google (94.6%) and YouTube (41.7%). Most participants reported ease in using correct words (68.6%) and finding information (70.2%), but difficulty in assessing reliability (44.8%) and applying information to health-related decisions (25.9%). In the adjusted analysis, a higher education, younger age, and higher levels of health literacy were associated with searching for health information online. The use of the internet was widely reported, despite difficulties in assessing reliability and applying the information. The findings underscore the need for accessible online health content of adequate quality.