An empirical study of everyday life information seeking behavior of urban low-income residents in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou, China

This paper reports an investigation on everyday life information seeking behavior of urban low-income group in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou City.Empirical data were collected via in-depth interviews with low-income urban residents and were analyzed using qualitative methods.This paper discusses the research findings based on the more noticeable results of information seeking behavior among these people.Our approach touches on a focused study of such issues as what the role of information seeking in their everyday life is,what information they care about,which information channels they prefer to use,which factors influence their information seeking behavior,how difficult it is to seek the information they need,and how they use public libraries.Based on our research findings,we propose that public libraries should provide customized information services for urban low-income residents according to the unique characteristics of their information seeking behavior in everyday life.

Perceived ill-health and health seeking behavior in two communities in the nam theun 2 hydroelectric project area in Lao Peoples Democratic Republic

Objective:To compare perceived ill-health and health seeking behavior between two communities affected by the large Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric project in central Lao People’s Democratic Republic(PDR).Methods: Two different affected areas;Nakai plateaubeing remote,sparcely populated and mountainous,and Xe Bang Fai lowland plains,more densely populated and comparatively affluent were included.Data were obtained from two cross-sectional household-based health and socio-economic surveys.Results:We found pronounced differences in the frequency of self-reported fever,cough,headache and myalgia according to location.On the Nakai plateau,45.1%of the individuals with ill-health report(recall period;2 weeks) went to a local health volunteer compared to only 7.2%in the Xe Bang Fai area(P 【 0.001 ).In Nakai,there were disproportionately more illiterates seeking help from local health volunteers when compared to those who attended at least primary schooling(49.2%versus 17.5%,P 【0.01 ).Self-medication with antimalarials was more common in Xe Bang Fai than on Nakai(32.3%versus 7.0%,P 【 0.001).The mean amount of money spent per health consultation was US $ 1.7 in Nakai and US $ 7.2 in Xe Bang Fai.Conclusion:The observed differences in self-reported ill-health and health seeking behavior among these two Lao communities need to be considered when implementing setting-specific mitigation measures as part of the public health action plan of the Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric project.

Research on the Model of Consumer Health Information Seeking Behavior via Social Media

Purpose: We aim to create a model of consumer health information seeking behavior via social media, then to have a better understand of it. After that further efforts should be made to provide targeted recommendations for media managers to promote health communication via social media. Methods: Our custom model was derived from literature review, empirical research was tested by the use of questionnaire investigation, and then the collected data were analyzed by structural equation model tool SmartPLS. Finally, the custom model was modified according to the experimental results of SmartPLS. Results: A total of 239 (66.39%) of the respondents were female and 121 (33.61%) were male. The maximum of two stages of age were 18 - 29 (70.56%), 30 - 39 (13.89%). Wechat (60.28%), QQ Zone (55.22%), Micro-blog (48.89%) were the most commonly used social media to obtain health information. About 44.72% of respondents used social media to obtain health information multiple times a day. The whole numerical values of AVE, cronbach’s alpha, CR and square roots of AVE were above the benchmarks of themselves and showed great reliability and validity. All the 11 hypotheses had obvious statistical significance, the P-value of eight path coefficients exhibited <0.001, one path coefficient exhibited <0.01 and two path coefficients exhibited <0.05. Conclusions: A suitable model of consumer health information seeking behavior via social media was created and some inner relationships were found. Namely, gratification of health information and its platform had a positive effect on attitudes toward health information seeking behavior. Health information literacy and health status were proved to have a significant influence on attitudes toward health information seeking behavior, subject norms and perceived behavioral control respectively. In addition, attitudes toward the health information seeking behavior, subject norms and perceived behavioral control were proved to positively associate with health information seeking behavior intention.

Identifying Treatment and Healthcare Seeking Behavior as a Means of Early HIV/AIDS Intervention in Africa

Background: Late diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and delayed commencement of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa is known to contribute to high morbidity and mortality. It is therefore, prudent to develop innovative approaches to ensure early HIV diagnosis because patients with low immunity will usually develop opportunistic infections and seek some remedial action. A treatment and health care seeking behavior survey was carried out in semi-urban communities in Malaba and Busia in Kenya and Uganda to evaluate the treatment and healthcare seeking behavior among patients visiting randomly selected drugstores. Methodology: Random sampling was applied and questionnaires were used to collect information from 165 interviewees who visited drugstores seeking health information, treatment and other health related services. Results: The results indicated that among this group of people, 67% visited drugstores before any other health facility. 72.2% sought treatment for various illnesses and services ranging from headaches, body fever, gastro-intestinal disturbances, family planning pills, sexually transmitted infections and chronic medications. Among the patients interviewed, there were a number of factors that affected treatment choice. These included the distance to the facility as well as the absence of a consultation fee or fee for service. Conclusion: With proper support, drugstores can play a major role in the implementation of health interventions that seek to promote early diagnosis and treatment as well as play a pivotal role in educating the population on disease prevention and management. In Sub-Saharan Africa, drugstores can play a major role in HIV and AIDS interventions where most patients seek medical intervention for opportunistic infection.

Knowledge of Health Communications Management and Treatment Seeking-Behavior Regarding Malaria in Uganda

In Uganda, there is still insufficient comprehension of malaria as a lethal disease especially in rural areas despite universal bed-net distribution coverage and effective anti-malarial treatment. Aim: To get evidence-based knowledge to establish the contribution of an individuals’ knowledge from various health communications that could increase their active involvement in health care especially seeking timely appropriate treatment for malaria or suspected malaria. Method: A cross-sectional survey using a correlational design was employed on a clustered sample of 380 rural households in 05 sub-counties of Kanungu district. Data were corrected between October 2016-January 2017 using researcher-administered questionnaires, key-informant interviews and focus group discussions. Correlation analysis was done. Result: There is a significant positive relationship between knowledge of health communications and treatment-seeking behavior (r = 0.312;p ≤ 0.01). Conclusion: Exposure to consistent Behavioral Change Communications messages influences treatment-seeking behaviour. Thus, in malaria-prone communities, it appears that other factors including sufficient targeted persuasive health communication are lacking in influencing personal orientations towards treatment-seeking behaviour. Therefore, proper Health Communications management supplements efforts from other disciplines and players, against malaria in Uganda.

Health Seeking Behavior among Medical Students in the University of Sharjah

Background： Medical students have different perception of symptoms and illness. Moreover, medical students reportbarriers to seeking help about their health, and are more likely to seek advice informally from friends and/or family. It is important toidentify health seeking behaviors among medical students to be able to modify and interfere accordingly. Objectives： To describe thehealth seeking behavior of medical students in UOS and identify the factors affecting those behaviors. Methods： A cross-sectionalstudy was conducted at the University of Sharjah during the spring semester of the academic year 2012-2013. Self-administeredquestionnaires were distributed to all medical students from all 5 years. Questions were related to physical health seeking behaviorsonly. Data was analyzed using the SPSS21 software. Results： We have found that self-prescription was the most common practicedhealth seeking behavior among 91.8%-96.6% of UOS medical students （CI of 95%） followed by the order ignoring a health problem,seeking immediate care, using the internet, reading more about the problem and self diagnosis ＆ management. All are practiced bymore than 50% of the students. A set of other behaviors was identified as well. Factors affecting these behaviors mainly included：self-care orientation ＆ medical education. Other factors that had a role as well were： gender, stage of studying, having a chronic illnessand lack of knowledge about the health services available. Conclusions： Medical students in the University of Sharjah have a high levelof self-care orientation and accordingly, tend to react to their illness in a variety of ways. The most common of these is self-prescription.Studying medicine is the 2nd major factor that influences their health seeking behaviors. Sufficient guidance about the consequencesassociated with certain behaviors may be required.

Health-seeking behavior of migrant beggars in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria

Most studies on beggars in Nigeria have focused exclusively on the social course of indigenous begging activities in Nigerian cities. There exists dearth of knowledge about international migrant beggars and their health-seeking behavior in Ibadan Southwestern Nigeria. A cross sectional survey data were collected through purposive sampling technique among a total of 250 international migrant beggars in six locations in Ibadan. Results showed that 56% of respondents were female, few had formal education, 85.6% were married, and 94.8% were Muslim. Respondents migrated from Niger (83.6%), Chad (11.2%), Mali (4.0%) and Benin (1.2%). None had a legal residence permit. Respondents’ mean residence duration in Nigeria was 8.5 years. Malaria was common to beggars both in their home country and in Nigeria. Treatment was received from patent medicine vendors by 51.2% respondents. Advice for appropriate treatment for illness was received from family members by 44.4% migrant beggars. Sex and country of beggars have a direct relationship with the treatment seeking (P Financial and legal status of migrant beggars dynamically limited their healthcare choices. Routine health education on hygiene practice and appropriate treatment-seeking should be taken to beggars at their different locations by health workers as means of prevention of the spread of diseases.

The promoting effect of health education on medical treatment seeking behavior in the context of healthy China:based on the comparison of migrants and registered local residents

The migrants are the important participant and contributor in China’s economic and social construction,but they still have many restrictions on their access to health services.This paper analyzes the differences between the migrants and the regis-tered local residents in looking for medical treatment and explores the relationship between health education and medical treatment seeking behavior,so as to find an appropriate way to improve the health level of the migrants.By using the compara-tive survey data of the floating population and registered population in 2017 and establishing the binary Logit model,this paper finds that the health education has a promoting effect on medical treatment seeking behaviors.In terms of the influence mechanism of health education on medical treatment seeking behavior,the mediat-ing effect of social participation factors is stronger in the migrants’group because making new friends and learning about local public health resources through health education is of great significance to the migrants.It is proposed to expand the cov-erage of health education among migrant groups and improve the accessibility of health education.At the same time,public medical and health services should be used as a window to guide the migrants to seek medical treatment in an orderly manner while assisting their social integration.

Awareness and Practice of Proper Health Seeking Behaviour and Determinant of Self-Medication among Physicians and Nurses in a Tertiary Hospital in Southwest Nigeria

Background: There is generally a lack of good health-seeking practices among health professionals due to a variety of factors, including the intensity of the medical practice itself. Doctors and nurses are perceived to have a good knowledge of ideal health-seeking behaviors and as such, it is important to determine the level of their awareness and estimate whether this knowledge is put into practice. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the level of awareness and practices of proper health-seeking behavior and to identify the factors responsible for self-medication among doctors and nurses in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between April and may 2018 among 106 doctors and 164 nurses in a tertiary health facility in Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Southwestern Nigeria. A simple random sampling technique by balloting was performed from the list of doctors and nurses in the hospital to select doctors and nurses that participated in the study. A pretested semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was designed and used to collect data. The data were entered into the computer software and analyzed using SPSS version 20. P ≤ 0.05 was taken as significant. Result: Out of 106 doctors and 164 nurses recruited, only 102 doctors and 143 nurses filled the questionnaire completely and returned for analysis. One hundred and four respondents (42.4%) fall within the ages of 31 - 40 years with a male to female ratio of 1:1.23. Awareness of proper health seeking behavior among both doctors and nurses was high among the two groups with no statistically significant difference between them. Twenty-nine (28.0%) doctors compared with thirty-four (23.8%) nurses go for a regular medical check-up with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.411). Out of these, 5 (17.2%) doctors and 7 (23.8%) nurses visit at an interval of less than 6 month (p = 0.736). There is a statistically significant difference in the number of doctors (60.8%) compared with nurses (41.3%) that have consulted a doctor in the last one year (p = 0.003). More than half (51.6%) of this consultation among doctors was over the phone whereas 64.4% of such among nurses were via clinic appointment (p = 0.008). More doctors (90.2%) comply with their treatment prescription from physicians compared with nurses (77.6%) (p = 0.010). More nurses compared with doctors self-medicate when ill [Doctor 61.8% (63), Nurses 78.3% (112)] (p = 0.005) and had also self-medicated in the last one year [Doctor 34.3% (35), Nurses 42.7% (61)] (p = 0.187). Decreasing age, decreasing years of experience, increasing working hours, lack of health insurance, fear of confidentiality and lack of satisfaction with health services are factors that significantly increased the likelihood of self-medication among doctors and nurses within the last one year. Conclusion: Awareness of proper health seeking behavior was high but this did not translate into proper health-seeking practices among doctors and nurses. There is apathy for regular medical check-up and self-medication was also high among this group of health workers. Decreasing age and years of experience, increasing working hours, lack of health insurance, fear of confidentiality and lack of satisfaction with health services were factors were identified to significantly increase the likelihood of self-medication.

Information seeking and anxiety among colonoscopy-na?ve adults: direct-to-colonoscopy vs traditional consult-first pathways

AIM To investigate the effects of direct to colonoscopy pathways on information seeking behaviors and anxiety among colonoscopy-na?ve patients.METHODS Colonoscopy-na?ve patients at two tertiary care hospitals completed a survey immediately prior to their scheduled outpatient procedure and before receiving sedation.Survey items included clinical pathway(direct or consult),procedure indication(cancer screening or symptom investigation),telephone and written contact from the physician endoscopist office,information sources,and pre-procedure anxiety.Participants reported pre-procedure anxiety using a 10 point scale anchored by "very relaxed"(1) and "very nervous"(10).At least three months following the procedure,patient medical records were reviewed to determine sedative dose,procedure indications and any adverse events.The primary comparison was between the direct and consult pathways.Given the very different implications,a secondary analysis considering the patient-reported indication for the procedure(symptoms or screening).Effects of pathway(direct vs consult) were compared both within and between the screening and symptom subgroups.RESULTS Of 409 patients who completed the survey,34% followed a direct pathway.Indications for colonoscopy were similar in each group.The majority of the participants were women(58%),married(61%),and internet users(81%).The most important information source was family physicians(Direct) and specialist physicians(Consult).Use of other information sources,including the internet(20% vs 18%) and Direct family and friends(64% vs 53%),was similar in the Direct and Consult groups,respectively.Only 31% of the 81% who were internet users accessed internet health information.Most sought fundamental information such as what a colonoscopy is or why it is done.Pre-procedure anxiety did not differ between care pathways.Those undergoing colonoscopy for symptoms reported greater anxiety [mean 5.3,95%CI: 5.0-5.7(10 point Likert scale)] than those for screening colonoscopy(4.3,95%CI: 3.9-4.7).CONCLUSION Procedure indication(cancer screening or symptom investigation) was more closely associated with information seeking behaviors and pre-procedure anxiety than care pathway.

江苏省居民健康行为现状及影响因素分析

健康行为是个体在行为层面的健康表达与体现。为了解江苏省居民健康行为现状及影响因素,采用分层多阶段随机抽样的方法,运用自编健康行为调查问卷对江苏省744名居民进行了问卷调查。研究发现:江苏省居民的健康行为水平比较高,平均得分为(4.34±0.48),五个维度的得分从高到低依次为安全与急救行为(4.51±0.54)、传染病预防行为(4.41±0.50)、基本医疗行为(4.39±0.61)、慢性病预防行为(4.29±0.67)、日常卫生保健行为(4.04±0.60);多元线性回归分析结果显示,性别、年龄、学历、职业、婚姻状况、月收入水平、身体健康状况、地区、城乡是江苏省居民健康行为的影响因素(P<0.05)。应通过有针对性的健康干预,重点提升苏北地区、农村、学历层次比较低、身体健康状况一般、无配偶、男性、老年居民以及高收入人群和企业工作人员的健康行为水平。

农村居民健康信息分享行为影响因素研究

文章以TAM模型为基础构建了农村居民健康信息分享行为影响因素模型,借助结构方程模型验证了模型的有效性,并对问卷结果展开实证分析,根据结果提出降低虚假健康信息造成的危害应当要重点保障健康信息的质量,完善农村的信息基础设施建设,加强农村居民个人信息安全的监管,营造良好的社会影响,加强对农村居民的数字素养教育。

大学生健康信息搜寻行为与健康素养的相关性

目的:调查大学生健康信息搜寻行为的现状及影响因素,探究大学生的健康信息搜寻行为与健康素养两者的关系,为改善大学生的健康信息搜寻行为以及提高其健康素养水平提供参考。方法:采用便利抽样方法,选择青岛农业大学和滨州医学院的2116名大学生作为研究对象,采用一般资料调查表、健康信息搜寻行为量表和健康素养量表进行资料收集。结果:健康信息搜寻行为各维度得分:主观规范为(48.20±9.10)分,健康信息搜寻媒介质量感知为(33.72±6.82)分,健康风险感知为(27.40±5.56)分,健康信息搜寻行为意向为(15.42±3.53)分,大学生健康信息搜寻行为为(9.26±2.43)分。相关分析显示,主观规范、健康信息搜寻媒介质量感知、健康风险感知、健康信息搜寻行为意向、基本保健素养、疾病预防控制素养及健康素养总分与健康信息搜寻行为之间呈正相关(P<0.05)。回归分析结果显示,性别、主观规范、健康信息搜寻媒介质量感知、健康风险感知、大学生健康信息搜寻行为意向为大学生健康信息搜寻行为的影响因素(P<0.05)。结论:大学生的健康信息搜寻行为整体处于中等水平,教育管理者应重视培养大学生的健康信息搜寻行为,从而提升其健康素养水平。

腰椎间盘突出症患者中医康复健康信息获取行为量表的编制及信效度检验

目的 编制腰椎间盘突出症患者中医康复健康信息获取行为量表,并检验其信效度。方法 以Wilson信息行为模型为指导,通过文献分析法、半结构访谈、2轮Delphi专家函询及预调查形成量表施测稿。对432例腰椎间盘突出症患者进行问卷调查,检验量表的信效度。结果 腰椎间盘突出症患者中医康复健康信息获取行为量表包括中医康复健康信息需求、中医康复健康信息来源和中医康复健康信息获取障碍3个维度,共30个条目,累计方差贡献率为64.912%。总量表的内容效度指数为0.969,Cronbach α系数为0.914,重测信度为0.836,分半信度为0.853,验证性因子分析结果显示该量表结构效度良好。结论 腰椎间盘突出症患者中医康复健康信息获取行为量表信效度良好,可作为评估腰椎间盘突出症患者中医康复健康信息获取行为水平的有效工具。

农村老年人在线健康信息替代搜寻者行为特征及影响因素研究

目的/意义探讨农村老年人健康信息替代搜寻者替代搜寻行为,分析行为过程中的主体行为特征,探究替代搜寻行为影响因素。方法/过程对农村老年人最常选择的替代搜寻者进行半结构化访谈,对访谈结果进行编码。结果/结论通过三级编码梳理出37个初始概念、15个子范畴和6个主范畴,构建替代搜寻者在线健康信息替代搜寻行为的理论模型。替代搜寻者进行替代搜寻行为的影响因素包括行为动机、信息能力、信息意识、环境特征、代际支持,替代搜寻行为可划分为信息检索、筛选、处理、传递过程,行为过程中替代搜寻者表现出坚定性、情感驱动性、辅助性的行为特征。

老年慢性病病人在线健康信息寻求行为研究进展

综述老年慢性病病人在线健康信息寻求行为的评估工具、影响因素及干预措施,以期为制定老年慢性病病人在线健康信息寻求行为的干预策略提供科学依据。

从“小世界”到“同心生活圈”:我国老年妇女健康信息搜寻行为

文章基于中国本土化情境,分析老年妇女的健康信息搜寻行为模式。选取15位60岁以上老年妇女作为研究对象,采取半结构化方式开展访谈,使用扎根理论对访谈资料进行编码分析。对应用扎根理论得出的研究结果进一步提炼升华,发现我国老年妇女的健康信息搜寻行为呈现出小世界理论所描述的明显特征,信息搜寻很大程度上受到所处社群的社会规范、社会类型、世界观、语言和习惯的影响;跨界健康信息行为在一些特定的场景中亦有发生。其健康信息搜寻行为模式可概括为以小世界圆周生活圈为中心、过渡生活圈和陌生圈为拓展的“同心生活圈”模式。“同心生活圈”理论的价值在于可以帮助老年妇女突破“小世界”局限,引导其有效获取高质量健康信息。

老年慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者健康信息寻求行为水平及影响因素分析

目的 调查老年慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)患者健康信息寻求行为水平并分析其影响因素。方法2021年1月至2022年12月,采用方便抽样方法选取江西省乐平市中医医院收治的137例老年COPD患者作为研究对象。采用一般资料调查表、健康信息寻求行为量表(HISB)、慢性病自我效能感量表(CDSES)、慢性病健康素养量表(HeLMS)及简易应对方式问卷(SCSQ)对其进行调查。结果 137例老年COPD患者HISB平均得分(123.24±15.64)分;多元线性回归分析显示,家庭人均月收入<3 000元、文化程度初中以下、自我效能低、健康素养低和消极应对是影响老年COPD患者健康信息寻求行为水平的危险因素(P<0.05)。结论 老年COPD患者健康信息寻求行为水平低,医护人员应根据患者家庭人均月收入、文化程度、自我效能、健康素养和应对方式等因素制订并实施个体化健康宣教和干预方案,以提高患者健康信息寻求行为水平。

老年慢性病共病病人社区就医行为影响因素的质性研究

目的:深入了解南宁市老年慢性病共病病人社区就医行为的影响因素,为制订针对性的改进措施提供参考。方法:基于安德森行为模型,采用目的抽样法选取于2023年3月—4月前往南宁市南棉社区医院就诊的12例老年慢性病共病病人进行半结构式访谈,使用定向内容分析法对访谈资料进行整理与分析。结果:提炼出老年慢性病共病病人就医行为影响因素的3个主题和8个亚主题,即倾向因素(年龄、医保类型、健康信念)、使能因素(经济情况、候诊时间、就医距离、社区医疗资源可及性)、需求因素(自评健康)。结论:目前社区医疗资源在老年群体中处于供需失衡的状态,倾向因素、使能因素、需求因素不同程度地影响着老年人前往社区医院就医意愿。社区医护人员需要关注慢性病共病人群的中医需求,提高健康教育的力度,提供个体化的治疗方案和精准的社区医疗服务,满足老年慢性病共病病人的医疗需求。

帕金森病病人健康信息寻求行为水平及其相关影响因素分析

目的:探讨帕金森病(PD)病人健康信息寻求行为水平及其影响因素。方法:选取2021年1月-2022年6月在医院收治的89例PD病人为研究对象,采用健康信息寻求行为量表(HISB)评估所有病人的健康信息寻求行为水平,设计一般资料调查表,详细统计所有病人的一般资料,比较不同特征PD病人的HISB评分,重点分析PD病人健康信息寻求行为水平的影响因素。结果:经评估,89例PD病人的HISB评分为(65.83±6.32)分;不同年龄、自我效能、受教育程度及家庭关怀度PD病人的HISB评分比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);多元线性回归分析结果显示,年龄大、自我效能低下、受教育程度低及家庭关怀度低均是PD病人健康信息寻求行为水平的影响因素(P<0.05)。结论:PD病人的健康信息寻求行为水平较低,年龄大、自我效能低下、受教育程度低及家庭关怀度低影响PD病人健康信息寻求行为水平,临床医务人员应根据相关影响因素制订针对性干预措施。