scholarly journals Understanding Health Information Seeking Behaviors in Syria: a Cross-section study (Preprint)

10.2196/25044 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayham Alyousbashi ◽  
Rashad Almahayni
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Section Study ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors

A cross-section study to assess Health Information Seeking Behavior (HISB) in Syria (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayham Research Group ◽  
Rashad Almahayni
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Quality Score ◽  
Main Question ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Section Study ◽  
Reliability Score

BACKGROUND The wide-spread use of the internet, and the numerous websites and platforms it provides access to allow users to reach a multitude of articles on almost any topic, which raises the issue of the quality and reliability of the information obtained online. Without denying the existence of reliable websites, the main question remains whether information seekers are reaching these websites. While many studies have been done to answer these questions, few were undertaken in third world countries. OBJECTIVE This study attempts to shed light on the current Health Information Seeking Behaviors (HISB) in Syria, to provide data, and to lay the ground for future studies. METHODS This is a cross-section study that used a questionnaire to identify and measure different HISB habits in Syria. A chi-square test was used to study the relations between different demographic groups and different HISB groups, and the relations between Different HISB groups. The study used the DISCERN Instrument to assess the reliability and quality of the information obtained by participants, and the means for the reliability score, the quality score, and the total DISCERN Instrument score were calculated and compared to scores of different methods of HISB with a T-score test. RESULTS The study suggests that Search Engines are the most commonly used method when actively seeking health information (52%), followed by official websites (26.6%) and unofficial websites (11.8%), with social media being the least used method (9.7%). Official websites scored the highest mean on the DISCERN Instrument score with 3.77 (±0.651), and the highest mean in reliability with 4.02 (±0.598), while social media scored the highest mean in quality with 3.53 (±1.014). Search Engines scored the lowest means in all 3 aspects, with a total DISCERN score of 3.35 (±0.715), a reliability score of 3.57 (±0.712), and a quality score of 3.11 (±0.915). CONCLUSIONS Official websites need to take more steps to provide better quality information for users. Non-medical provider users search for overview more often, therefore official websites should provide an overview of the topics at the start of their materials.

scholarly journals Health Information Seeking Behaviors of Ethnically Diverse Adolescents

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 652-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia E. Okoniewski ◽  
Young Ji Lee ◽  
Martha Rodriguez ◽  
Rebecca Schnall ◽  
Alexander F. H. Low
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors ◽  
Ethnically Diverse Adolescents

scholarly journals Rural Men’s Health, Health Information Seeking, and Gender Identities: A Conceptual Theoretical Review of the Literature

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 863-876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley Hiebert ◽  
Beverly Leipert ◽  
Sandra Regan ◽  
Jacquelyn Burkell
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Men’S Health ◽  
Men's Health ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Gender Identities ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors

Beginning as early as 2009, recent shifts in Canadian health care delivery indicate that access to health information is essential to promote and maintain a healthy population. It is important to understand how and where various populations, such as underresourced rural populations, access health information so that public health agencies can develop and deliver appropriate information with, for, and in these contexts. There is a paucity of research that specifically examines how rural Canadian men seek health information; therefore, this review aimed to conceptualize this process based on three dynamic key constructs: health patterns of rural Canadians, health information–seeking behaviors, and rural gender identities. This conceptual theoretical literature review included 91 articles at the intersection of these three constructs. Discussion focuses on how residing in a rural region influences men’s health and health care access. Health information–seeking behaviors are discussed in terms of social networks and framed with a rural context. Connell’s theory of masculinity provides a useful approach to dissecting how rural men’s gender identities influence their health attitudes, and how such attitudes are embedded in rural social and cultural norms. Each major construct—health in rural Canada, health information seeking, and rural gender identities—is discussed to highlight how specific embodiments of masculinity may promote and inhibit men’s health information–seeking and positive health behaviors.

scholarly journals EDUCATION, LITERACY, NUMERACY AND HEALTH INFORMATION SEEKING IN LATER LIFE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S322-S322
Author(s):  
Takashi Yamashita ◽  
Anthony R Bardo ◽  
Roberto J Millar ◽  
Shalini Sahoo ◽  
Phyllis Cummins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Education And Health ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors

Abstract Health information plays a critical role for health promotion and maintenance in later life. While health information seeking is primarily driven by need (e.g., health), significantly less is known about the roles of education and health-literacy. Thus, we examine complex pathways that link health information seeking behaviors with education and health literacy (decomposed into general literacy and numeracy), and how these pathways differ by health status among a nationally representative sample of Americans age 50 and older (n = 2,750). Data come from the 2012/2014 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies. Multi-group structural equation models were used to examine the use of eight health information sources (newspapers, magazines, internet, radio, TV, books, friends/family, and health professionals) by health status (good vs. poor). Findings showed that literacy and numeracy are significant mediators of the relationship between education and health professional as an information source. Additionally, the mediation effects on health professionals by literacy status [indirect-effect (good vs. poor health) = 0.48 vs. 2.13, p < 0.05] and numeracy [indirect-effect (good vs. poor health) = -0.47 vs. -1.81, p < 0.05] were significantly moderated by health. At the same time, no moderated mediation effect was observed in the use of any other information sources. This study provides some of the first nationally representative evidence regarding how education functions through health literacy components to shape health information seeking behaviors by health status. Explanations and implications for differing effects of education, literacy, and numeracy on health information seeking in later life were evaluated.

Predictors of Online Health Information-seeking Behaviors among College Latino Men

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-379
Author(s):  
Enmanuel A. Chavarria ◽  
Beth H. Chaney ◽  
Michael L. Stellefson ◽  
J. Don Chaney ◽  
Nikita E. Chavarria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Latino Men ◽  
Online Health Information Seeking ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviors
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