Nine out of ten U.S. workers dealing with a health condition not only turn to their physician for advice, but also to other health care sources, reports a new survey by the National Business Group of Health. 

Over the past two years, consumers have reached out to the Internet (68%), health plan providers (67%), friends and family members (66%), the media (61%) and employers (54%) for information on medical conditions and treatments, NBGH notes. 

The Washington, D.C.-based group, which focuses on health care benefits, commissioned the survey to examine employee health care decisions and the role of medical information in their treatment. The results reflect the responses of 1,588 workers between the ages of 22 and 69. 

For instance, nearly 55% of employees feel as if their physician is not the only reliable source they should look to for advice. What's more, 53% of workers believe medical information is too difficult for the average person to understand. The results also indicate most workers (60%) are unfamiliar with the appropriate medical data that would allow them to compare health care plans and providers.

Meanwhile, younger workers have a distinctly different attitude toward medical treatment than their older counterparts. Forty-five percent of workers under age 50 prefer traditional medical procedures, while only 25% favor new medical methods, NBGH reports. In contrast, 36% of workers over age 50 prefer well-established remedies and 35% desire new treatments.

The findings also show generational differences toward health care coverage. Nearly one-third of those under age 30 agreed that if insurance covers health care costs, then patients don't need to be concerned about expenses, compared to 14% of those age 60 and older. Moreover, 47% of those under age 30 said that more expensive treatments are more effective, compared to 23% for those over age 60. 

"Employees, and especially younger ones, understand that they need to play a more active role in controlling their own health," says Helen Darling, president of the NBGH.