Abstract
Health information-seeking behavior is the process of gathering information about health and disease and can be influential for health-related perception and behavior. University students are an important target group for prevention and health promotion and largely belong to an age group that is considered to play a leading role in propagating the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Germany. The paper deals with students' health information-seeking behavior before and during the corona crisis, aiming to give insights into its determinants and implications. Using the example of a large German comprehensive university and based on two cross-sectional surveys in the summer of 2019 (n = 4,351) and 2020 (n = 3,066), we investigate which information channels students use for health information, how information seeking changes during the course of the pandemic, and to what extent information seeking is associated with risk perception and risk behavior. For a subsample of participants that participated in both surveys (n = 443), we also trace developments at the individual level through a longitudinal analysis. The results show that students' health information seeking takes place primarily online and changed markedly during the corona crisis. The comparatively high relevance of sources that are largely based on unchecked user-generated content raises the concern whether students' health information-seeking behavior guarantees the necessary quality and reliability of health information. Significant correlations between the intensity of corona-related information seeking, risk perception, and actual risk behavior were found.
Highlights
The ongoing pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused more than 300,000 detected cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illness in Germany and claimed more than 9,500 lives as of October 2020 [1]
Using the example of a large German comprehensive university and based on two cross-sectional surveys in the summer semesters of 2019 (n = 4,351) and 2020 (n = 3,066) as well as a longitudinal analysis of a subsample (n = 443) at the individual level, we investigate which channels university students use to obtain health information, how information seeking changes during the course of a pandemic situation, and to what extent information seeking is associated with risk perception and risk behavior
80% stated that they sought information on health and disease at least once a month, 41% stated that they engaged in health information seeking every week, and 11% every day
Summary
The ongoing pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused more than 300,000 detected cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illness in Germany and claimed more than 9,500 lives as of October 2020 [1]. During the first period of outbreaks in spring 2020, scholars identified that individuals aged 20 to 24 years play a leading role in propagating the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Germany [2], suggesting that university students, most of whom fall into this age group, play an important role in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The health-related behavior of university students is of high relevance [4, 5]. Against the background of this age distribution, students are a important target group for prevention and health promotion during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, given that the university setting, including teaching and learning environments with full lecture halls and changing group compositions, dormitories, and campus vibrant social life, is potentially associated with an increased risk of infection
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