Pregnancy-Related Information-Seeking Behavior and Information Literacy Profiles of Women at Reproductive Age

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to capture pregnancy-related information seeking behavior of women and its correlation with socio-economic status and with Internet health information literacy profiles. A user survey based on Wilson’s’ macro-model of information seeking behavior was designed and carried out. The survey included 289 women at reproductive age who provided valid feedback on information needs, motives for seeking pregnancy-related information online, information resources employed and Internet information literacy. Responses were collected via an anonymous questionnaire and processed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version 25.0. The results demonstrate that women have increased information needs during pregnancy, that they are primarily concerned about the health of their embryos and that they tend to turn mainly to their doctors, their family and to the Web for obtaining pregnancy-related information. Internet is most used by younger women and online information is generally deemed useful. The analysis of survey responses indicated that pregnancy-related information literacy profiles are influenced by women’s educational status and age. Official online information sources should be made available in Greece, where women could find useful and trusted information about pregnancy issues.