JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2026 May 14;12:e86435. doi: 10.2196/86435.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Although health care providers are the most trusted sources of health information, service establishments within communities represent important, yet underused, sources of health information. Specifically, food and beauty establishments can act as alternative settings for health communication, facilitating broader engagement with the general population.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined factors associated with willingness to receive health information from these non-health care service establishments among community-dwelling adults in Singapore.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among residents in 2 neighborhoods in central Singapore between November 2024 and April 2025. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, trust in information from health care and non-health care services, and willingness to receive health information were collected anonymously. The primary outcome was willingness to receive health information from non-health care services (yes or no), assessed among respondents with no prior exposure to health information from such services. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with willingness to receive health information from non-health care services.
RESULTS: Among the 403 respondents, most were aged ≥50 years (n=223, 55.3%), female (n=219, 54.3%), Chinese (n=350, 86.9%), and highly educated (n=302, 74.9%). Of the 339 respondents without prior exposure to health information from non-health care services, approximately one-third (n=106, 31.3%) reported that they were willing to receive health information in the future. In adjusted analysis, greater trust in health information (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 3.71, 95% CI 1.50-9.19) and high health information orientation (AOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.11-3.21) were associated with increased willingness to receive health information from non-health care services. Trust in health information was positively associated with willingness among those aged 21 to 34 years (AOR 4.96, 95% CI 1.35-18.30), those aged 35 to 49 years (AOR 8.02, 95% CI 2.62-24.59), and male respondents (AOR 6.22, 95% CI 2.79-13.89) to receive health information from these sources, but not among those aged ≥50 years (AOR 1.92, 95% CI 0.92-4.02) or female respondents (AOR 1.85, 95% CI 0.87-3.96).
CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one-third of community-dwelling adults expressed willingness to receive health information from non-health care (food and beauty) services, highlighting the potential for leveraging these establishments as alternative health communication channels. Willingness was positively associated with higher health information orientation and greater trust. Additionally, trust in non-health care (food and beauty) services was associated with higher odds of willingness to receive health information among those aged 21 to 49 years and male respondents. This suggests the need for tailored trust-building strategies to strengthen engagement through such alternative channels.
PMID:42133973 | DOI:10.2196/86435
