Effects of Information Source Characteristics on Trust and Health Information Behaviours Among Individuals with Different Levels of Cyberchondria

Online health information spreads quickly across different publishers and platforms. However, little is known about how information source characteristics, together with cyberchondria, influence individuals’ trust and intentions to share and verify. Using a 2 × 2 × 3 between-subject design, the present study investigated the effects of cyberchondria severity (high/low), publisher type (verified/unverified), and platform type (health app/search engine/social media) on individuals’ trust in health information and their intentions to share and verify that information. A total of 204 participants were included in this experiment. The results show that verified publishers and health apps can increase trust and the intention to share. Individuals with high cyberchondria show higher trust and intentions to share and verify, only when the publisher was unverified. The findings suggest that external authority (verification of accounts and professional content apps) can moderate the effects of cyberchondria or its related anxiety. The present study contributes to the literature on the determinants of online health behaviours by using an experimental design, with practical implications for platform management and online health information publishers.