A Study on the Women's Use of Social Media & Breast Cancer-related Health Information-Seeking Behavior: Utility of Information Channel as a Mediator

Abstract

Social media is quickly becoming the most available and easiest source for seeking health information due to the emerging popularity of social media among people where everyone is expected to be online and connected to social media. This research was carried out to examine women's online breast cancer-related information-seeking behavior. The comprehensive model of information seeking (CMIS) was tested in Pakistan in order to examine the information-seeking behavior of women. Another significant factor of social stigma was added as an independent variable into the existing model. Researchers hypothesized that the utility of information channels plays a role of mediator in the association amongst the factors, i.e. demographics, social stigma, direct experience, salience, beliefs, and characteristics in the information-seeking behavior about breast cancer. The survey questionnaire was distributed among Six hundred women from Islamabad by using the convenient sampling technique. Researchers collected the data by already developed scales. Statistical test of Multiple Linear Regression was employed by the researchers. Therefore, the study carried out significant findings.