NUMBER 25

Picking up the Pace: 2011–2014 

Changes to the Health Information 

National Trends Survey

The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Health Information 

National Trends Survey (HINTS) was developed more than 

a decade ago to track changes in the rapidly evolving health 

communication and information technology landscape. 

HINTS has enabled a growing body of research that assesses 

the effect of health communication, media, and health 

information technology on health and behavioral outcomes, 

health care quality, and health disparities. Processes of 

health communication and supportive health information 

technology infrastructure shape the ways in which health 

care professionals and the public seek, use, and understand 

health information. Health information seeking and health 

communication have a significant effect on individuals’ health 

decisions, health-related behavior, and health outcomes. Data 

from HINTS have been critical in documenting and tracking 

these associations and trends in the U.S. population.

The fourth fielding of HINTS began in 2011 and will take 

place at predetermined intervals through 2014 (see HINTS 

timeline on following page). In addition to being used 

for empirical research in cancer prevention and control, 

HINTS 4 has been designated as the data source for tracking 

a number of the Healthy People 2020 objectives related to 

health communication and health information technology. 

HINTS 4 has also been designed to assess progress related 

to other strategic public initiatives such as those related to 

patient-centered outcomes research, health care reform and 

accountability, and a greater interest in learning about or 

participating in clinical trials.

To address emerging issues in the field of health 

communication more quickly while still maintaining the 

ongoing measurement of trends, HINTS 4 will include 

five data collection cycles over the course of 3 years. The 

instrument for each data collection cycle will include a 

core module of common items for trending in addition to 

special topic modules to be implemented only in some of 

the cycles, increasing capacity of the HINTS instruments to 

include a broader array of topics and measures. The combined 

sample size for all five cycles of HINTS 4 will be greater than 

17,000 respondents, more than twice the size of previous 

rounds of HINTS data collections. 

HINTS Users Meeting Scheduled 

for October 2013

Quick Facts

• Between 2011 and 2014, HINTS 4 will collect data 

from more than 17,000 adults in the United States.

• HINTS 4 consists of five separate data collection 

cycles, each including core health communication 

constructs in addition to special topic modules that 

will field only in some cycles.

• HINTS 4 has been designated as the data source for 

measuring progress in the Healthy People 2020 health 

communication and health information technology 

objectives.

• Population percentages for each HINTS question 

are displayed in numeric and chart format on 

hints.cancer.gov. 

In this HINTS Brief, we describe changes in the data collection methods used for HINTS 4, 2011–2014. 
HINTS 4 Timeline and Content

The fourth iteration of HINTS is collecting data over four standard cycles and an additional (fifth) cycle sponsored by the Food and 

Drug Administration (FDA), which will ask health communication questions relevant to FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, Center for 

Food Science and Nutrition, and Office of the Commissioner. Planned data collection dates and public release dates are outlined here.

Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Cycle 3 Cycle 4 FDA Cycle

Data Collection: 

October 2011–

February 2012

Public Release: 

July 2012

Data Collection: 

October 2012–

January 2013

Public Release: 

June 2013

Data Collection 

(tentative): 

September 2013–

November 2013

Public Release 

(tentative):

May 2014

Data Collection 

(tentative): 

July 2014–

September 2014

Public Release 

(tentative):

March 2015

Data Collection 

(tentative): 

October 2014–

December 2014

Public Release 

(tentative):

June 2015

HINTS 4 constructs include alcohol use, breast cancer screening, cancer perceptions, cancer risk perceptions, cancer survivorship, 

cervical cancer screening, colorectal cancer screening, demographics, depression, dietary assessment, food security, genomics, health 

care, health information seeking, health information technology, health self-efficacy, health status, nutrition, patient satisfaction, patientprovider communication, physical activity, prostate cancer screening, sleep quality, sun safety, tobacco use, trust and mistrust, and use 

of technology.

How Can This Inform Your Work? • Download the survey instruments, public use data sets, and 

supporting materials to conduct your own secondary data • Estimated population percentages for each HINTS question analyses on health communication and cancer prevention are displayed on hints.cancer.gov in tabular and chart format. topics of interest. These data snapshots can be used to understand the public’s 

knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to several health • Use HINTS data as part of your grant-writing efforts.

promotion and cancer prevention constructs.

About HINTS HINTS was created to monitor changes in the rapidly evolving field of health communication. The survey data 

hints.cancer.gov can be used to understand how adults use different communication channels to obtain health information for 

themselves and their loved ones. It can also help to create more effective health communication strategies 

across populations. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) fielded the first HINTS in 2002 and 2003, surveying 6,369 Americans. 

Subsequent surveys followed in 2005 (5,586 Americans surveyed) and 2008 (7,674 Americans surveyed), 2011 and 2012 (3,959 

Americans surveyed), and 2012–2013 (3,630 Americans surveyed). 

HINTS Briefs provide a snapshot of noteworthy, data-driven research findings. They introduce population-level estimates for specific 

questions in the survey and summarize significant research findings that are a result of analyzing how certain demographic characteristics 

influence specific outcomes. Many Briefs summarize research findings from recent peer-reviewed journal articles using HINTS data.

For More Information on Cancer References Used in This HINTS Brief

Finney Rutten LJ, Davis T, Beckjord EB, Blake K, Moser RP, Hesse BW. Picking up the pace: • Call the NCI Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER Changes in method and frame for the Health Information National Trends Survey (2011–2014). 

• Visit http://cancer.gov J Health Commun. 2012;17(8):979–89.

• Order NCI publications at https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/ncipubs/

• Visit Facebook.com/cancer.gov and http://www.youtube.com/ncigov

September 2013