Online Information-seeking Behavior Research Articles

Digital Health Literacy Predictors and COVID-19 Online Information-Seeking Behaviors Among University Students from Romania

In addition to the infectious disease, the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by an infodemic that worsened the outbreak. Increased digital health literacy (DHL) skills and information-seeking behaviors are crucial for accessing, understanding, and evaluating online health information, especially during a pandemic, where misinformation imposes immediate health consequences. This study explores the predictors of DHL among Romanian students and their information-seeking behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected through a cross-sectional study design over 3 months (December 2020–February 2021) and a self-reported web-based questionnaire from 1,381 university students from Romania assessing DHL and information-seeking behaviors. We used descriptive statistics, Cronbach Alpha coefficients, and univariate and multivariate binary logistic regressions to explore DHL’s predictors in the Romanian sample. Results showed that overall, the study sample had high levels of DHL. However, almost half of the respondents reported having problems assessing whether the information searched related to coronavirus is reliable or not, and 95% shared someone else’s private information online. Age, subjective social status, gender, and chronic diseases were identified as predictors for DHL. Students’ DHL skills need to be strengthened using tailored educational programs and interventions emphasizing the quality, accuracy, and timely provision of online information on official public health platforms. Additional actions include fostering collaborations between educational institutions and public health authorities, alongside developing smartphone applications for real-time guidance on health topics. It is of the utmost importance to address the spread of the infodemic through different strategies, to combat misinformation among university students.

Demographic Variables and Web Information Seeking Behavior of Final Year University Students in Nigeria

The study examined demographic variables and web information-seeking behaviour of final-year university students in Nigeria. The study utilized a survey research approach, employing a questionnaire as the primary data collection tool. The research population consisted of 377 final-year undergraduates selected purposively from three universities in Nigeria. The results of the study indicated that students primarily sought web-based information to complete class assignments and research projects. Additionally, challenges such as information overload and the high cost of subscriptions were identified in connection with students’ online information-seeking behaviour. The study concluded that a good number of students frequently seek information from Google search and Wikipedia as well as electronic journals, which has helped them meet the demands of their academic pursuits. The study recommended, among others, that university libraries should encourage faculty members to continually assign research tasks to students that will compel them to visit their electronic libraries, where they will get new knowledge and acquire skills in web information searching. Librarians, through user education programmes, should organize practical sessions where students would be taught how to search and retrieve relevant web resources.

Analyzing the influence of COVID-19 Media Coverage on Online Information Seeking Behavior in Korea

Analyzing the influence of COVID-19 Media Coverage on Online Information Seeking Behavior in Korea

Impact of global public health days on online health-information-seeking behavior related to substance use: An analysis of five-year data.

The United Nations Organizations observe various global public health days (GPHDs) (also known as world days) throughout the year. We aimed to assess the impact of GPSDs on online health information-seeking behavior related to substance use in the Indian context. We used the Google Trends data for this study using standard guidelines. We conducted a topic search for the query "Substance abuse" to capture online information-seeking behavior (OHISB) for substance use disorder-related searches. The data were analyzed using the Joinpoint Regression software. Joinpoint regression model analysis was conducted to determine the statistically significant daily percent change (DPC) in the RSV trend. We found that there were significant changes in OHISB for substance use-related disorders on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking over the last five years. The increase in the pattern of online search for substance use-related information was not observed around the World No Tobacco Day, World Mental Health Day, and World Suicide Prevention Day. Since most of these world health days are likely to continue to be observed in the coming years, it is important to regularly assess their impact as well as make the necessary modifications to make them more effective in achieving the desired objectives.

Online information-seeking behavior of Iranian web users on Google about Henoch–Schönlein purpura (HSP): an infodemiology study

Backgrounds: Previous studies have indicated that users’ health information-seeking behavior can serve as a reflection of current health issues within a community. This study aimed to investigate the online information-seeking behavior of Iranian web users on Google about Henoch–Schönlein purpura (HSP).MethodsGoogle Trends (GTr) was utilized to collect big data from the internet searches conducted by Iranian web users. A focus group discussion was employed to identify users’ selected keywords when searching for HSP. Additionally, keywords related to the disease’s symptoms were selected based on recent clinical studies. All keywords were queried in GTr from January 1, 2012 to October 30, 2022. The outputs were saved in an Excel format and analyzed using SPSS.ResultsThe highest and lowest search rates of HSP were recorded in winter and summer, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between HSP search rates and the terms “joint pain” (P = 0.007), “vomiting” (P = 0.032), “hands and feet swelling” (P = 0.041) and “seizure” (P < 0.001).ConclusionThe findings were in accordance with clinical facts about HSP, such as its seasonal pattern and accompanying symptoms. It appears that the information-seeking behavior of Iranian users regarding HSP can provide valuable insights into the outbreak of this disease in Iran.

Impact of online health information-seeking behavior on shared decision-making in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: The TRUMP2-SLE project.

Providing appropriate health information to patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is advantageous in the treatment decision-making process. We aimed to investigate how online health information-seeking behaviors affect shared decision-making (SDM) in patients with SLE. This cross-sectional study included 464 patients with SLE from five institutions. The main exposure was time spent on the internet per day, divided into four categories (none, <1 h, 1- < 2h, ≥2h). Participants categorized their preferred first source of health information as physicians, the internet, or other media. The outcome was the degree of SDM measured via the 9-item Shared Decision-Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9). A general linear model was applied. Compared to no internet use, longer internet use was associated with a higher SDM-Q-9 score: <1h, 6.9 points (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32 to 13.6) and ≥2h, 8.75 points, (95% CI 0.61 to 16.9). The SDM-Q-9 did not differ between the individuals who chose physicians and those who chose the Internet as their preferred first source of health information (-2.1 points, 95% CI -6.7 to 2.6). Individuals who chose other media had significantly lower SDM-Q-9 scores than those who chose physicians (-7.6 points, 95% CI -13.2 to -1.9). The present study suggests that SDM between physicians and patients is positively associated with online information-seeking behavior, with no negative influence associated with accessing the Internet before clinical consultations. Rheumatologists may need to introduce their patients to websites offering high-quality health information to establish a good physician-patient relationship for SDM.

On the Correlation between Problem-solving Skills and Online Information-seeking Behavior of English for Specific Purposes Students

On the Correlation between Problem-solving Skills and Online Information-seeking Behavior of English for Specific Purposes Students

Digital health literacy and online information-seeking behavior of Lebanese university students in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic

Digital health literacy and online information-seeking behavior of Lebanese university students in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic

Confirmation Bias in Seeking Climate Information: Employing Relative Search Volume to Predict Partisan Climate Opinions

In an increasingly digitized world, online information-seeking (OIS) behaviors have reflected people’s intentions and constituted a critical component in synthesizing public opinion. Climate change is among the gravest threats facing the world today, and previous studies have adopted OIS data to gauge public interest in climate change. However, such studies have ignored the psychological attributes of search keywords and the role of social identities in influencing OIS. This study explores whether search strategies align with the expected confirmation biases of regions with different partisan beliefs. We use spatial web search trends to show the significant differences in the search keywords adopted by the Democrat-majority (“climate change”) versus the Republican-majority (“global warming”) regions of the United States. Furthermore, using the region-level search and survey data (2008–2018), we demonstrate that the preferential use of search keywords can predict climate opinions. This study concludes by discussing the significant findings and the open questions for future work.

Toothpaste-related interests of Google users from different countries.

The Internet is a growing source of knowledge and can provide information about oral health. This ecological study aimed to characterize the interests in toothpaste among Google users from different countries. Our hypothesis was that there would be an increase in Google users' interest in information about toothpaste. This retrospective longitudinal ecological study analyzed the toothpaste-related interest of Google users from 10 countries between January 2004 and December 2020. The monthly variation in relative search volume (RSV) and the main related queries were determined using Google Trends. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) forecasting models were built to establish the predictive RSV values for toothpaste for an additional 12 months. Autocorrelation plots and the generalized additive model (GAM) were used to diagnose trends and seasonality in RSV curves. Additionally, the influence of social isolation related to the outbreak of COVID-19 was analyzed. Although not detected by autocorrelation function (ACF) and partial autocorrelation function (PACF) analyses, the heuristic analysis showed an increase in the interest in toothpaste-related information in all countries, with a stable trend observed in the 12-month forecasts, except for the increases in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Also, GAM analyses demonstrated a non-significant monthly or quarterly seasonal influence on data. In addition, social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic did not influence the online information-seeking behavior of Google Search users linked to this topic. We confirmed the hypothesis that the interest of Google Search users in information about toothpaste increased in all of the 10 assessed countries.

To know or not to know? Exploring COVID-19 information seeking with the risk information seeking and processing model

To cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce uncertainty, the public needs accurate and timely information. Inspired by the risk information seeking and processing (RISP) model, this article discovers the significant predictors of individuals’ COVID-19 information-seeking intention and behaviour. Overall, 394 adult participants from 47 states completed this study’s online survey. The hierarchical regression analysis reveals that risk experience and informational subjective norms are the most substantial predictors of individuals’ online information-seeking behaviour about COVID-19. Information insufficiency did not predict information seeking, and participants tend to overestimate their knowledge about COVID-19. RISP variables tend to share power in explaining the variances of information-seeking behaviour. Moreover, both channel beliefs and perceived information gathering capacity moderate information insufficiency’s prediction of information-seeking intention. These findings will assist researchers in discovering the fundamental motivation of information seeking. This article can guide pragmatic interventions to reduce the public’s uncertainty and mitigate the risk.

Spatiotemporal Mapping of Online Interest in Cannabis and Popular Psychedelics before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland.

Background: Psychedelics represent a unique subset of psychoactive substances that can induce an aberrant state of consciousness principally via the neuronal 5-HT2A receptor. There is limited knowledge concerning the interest in these chemicals in Poland and how they changed during the pandemic. Nonetheless, these interests can be surveyed indirectly via the web. Objectives: We aim to conduct a spatial-temporal mapping of online information-seeking behavior concerning cannabis and the most popular psychedelics before and during the pandemic. Methods: We retrieved online information search data via Google Trends concerning twenty of the most popular psychedelics from 1 January 2017 to 1 January 2022 in Poland. We conducted Holt–Winters exponential smoothing for time series analysis to infer potential seasonality. We utilized hierarchical clustering analysis based on Ward’s method to find similarities of psychedelics’ interest within Poland’s voivodships before and during the pandemic. Results: Twelve (60%) psychedelics had significant seasonality; we proved that psilocybin and ayahuasca had annual seasonality (p-value = 0.0120 and p = 0.0003, respectively), and four substances—LSD, AL-LAD, DXM, and DOB—exhibited a half-yearly seasonality, while six psychedelics had a quarterly seasonal pattern, including cannabis, dronabinol, ergine, NBOMe, phencyclidine, and salvinorin A. Further, the pandemic influenced a significant positive change in the trends for three substances, including psilocybin, ergine, and DXM. Conclusions: Different seasonal patterns exist for psychedelics, and some might correlate with school breaks or holidays in Poland. The pandemic induced some changes in the temporal and spatial trends. The spatial-temporal trends could be valuable information to health authorities and policymakers responsible for monitoring and preventing addictions.

Digital health literacy, online information-seeking behaviour, and satisfaction of Covid-19 information among the university students of East and South-East Asia.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing interest in online information about coronavirus worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the digital health literacy (DHL) level, information-seeking behaviour, and satisfaction of information on COVID-19 among East and South-East Asia university students. This cross-sectional web-based study was conducted between April to June 2020 by recruiting students from universities in China, Malaysia, and the Philippines. University students who have Internet access were invited to participate in the study. Items on sociodemographic variables, DHL, information-seeking behaviour, and information satisfaction were included in the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were conducted. A total of 5302 university students responded to the survey. The overall mean score across the four DHL subscales was 2.89 (SD: 0.42). Search engines (e.g., Google, Bing, Yahoo) (92.0%) and social media (88.4%) were highly utilized by the students, whereas Websites of doctors or health insurance companies were of lower utilization (64.7%). Across the domains (i.e., adding self-generated content, determining relevance, evaluating reliability, and protecting privacy) higher DHL was positively associated with higher usage of trustworthy resources. Providing online information on COVID-19 at official university websites and conducting health talks or web-based information dissemination about the strategies for mental health challenges during pandemic could be beneficial to the students. Strengthening DHL among university students will enhance their critical thinking and evaluation of online resources, which could direct them to the quality and trustworthy information sources on COVID-19.

A cross-sectional study to assess health literacy levels among Canadian post-secondary students during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT To better understand the online information-seeking behaviors and health literacy levels of Canadian post-secondary students, a cross-sectional online bilingual survey was initiated during the first wave of COVID-19 in Canada. The survey was administered to Canadian post-secondary students from 1 July 2020, to 30 September 2020, through email invitations and social media platforms. The objective of this paper is to assess the online information-seeking behaviors and health literacy levels in relation to the coronavirus of Canadian post-secondary students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The online survey was developed using standardized tools, including the Digital Health Literacy Instrument, and newly developed measures of sociodemographic indicators and the information satisfaction scale. Sociodemographic factors and health literacy levels were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 2,679 students partihigh levels of health literacy and could easily access online information related to COVID-19 to make health decisions. The most frequently used sources to obtain information about the coronavirus were search engines and websites of public sector agencies. While the majority of respondents found it easy to access and utilize online health information, continued development of these resources is vital to reducing the spread of COVID-19 and addressing misinformation. Accurate and well-maintained online resources are key preventative health measures to educate the public and ultimately lessen the burden on our healthcare system.

Environmental and public health co-benefits of consumer switches to immunity-supporting food

During COVID-19, there has been a surge in public interest for information on immunity-boosting foods. There is little scientific support for immunity-supporting properties of specific foods, but strong evidence for food choice impacts on other health outcomes (e.g. risk of non-communicable disease) and environmental sustainability. Here, we relate online recommendations for “immunity-boosting” foods across five continents to their environmental and human health impacts. More frequently recommended food items and groups are plant based and have lower land use and greenhouse gas emission impacts plus more positive health outcomes (reducing relative risks of mortality or chronic diet-related diseases) per serving of food. We identify trade-offs between environmental outcomes of increasing consumption of recommended food items, with aquatic environment impacts increasing with food recommendation frequency. People’s reliance on the Internet for health information creates an opportunity to consolidate behaviour change towards consuming foods with multiple co-benefits. Our study identifies win–win options for nudging online information-seeking behaviour towards more sustainable choices for terrestrial biodiversity conservation and human health.

How well does online information-seeking behavior indicate public conservation orientation? Taxonomy and personal characteristics matter

Public conservation support for a species can powerfully influence the success of conservation policies and actions. To maximize the effectiveness of the limited resources available for conservation, it would be beneficial to develop a way to predict the degree of public conservation orientation. Here, we explore the utility of the frequency of accessing web content featuring particular species, a direct measure of information-seeking behavior, to predict public conservation orientation. Specifically, we tested whether pageviews of Wikipedia content featuring 100 threatened species in five taxonomic groups (mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, insects, and plants) is associated with public conservation orientation toward these species in Japan. Wikipedia pageviews predicted public conservation orientation for species conservation for the two most salient taxonomic groups (mammals and birds). This relationship, however, was not evident for the other three taxa. The relationship between Wikipedia pageviews and conservation orientation was influenced by respondent age and gender. We employed the national red list category of the species as a covariate, but it was not associated with public orientation for species conservation in any of the five taxonomic groups. Overall, information-seeking behavior could be used as a proxy for public conservation orientation for mammals and birds, but should be interpreted with caution.

Online Information-Seeking Behavior for Allergies and its Association with COVID-19 Vaccine-Hesitancy in India: An Info-Epidemiologic Study.

Background:Vaccine-hesitancy is an important obstacle to attain herd-immunity against COVID-19. Undue fears about adverse effects like allergic reactions may be an important reason for vaccine-hesitancy.Objectives:To assess the online information-seeking behavior of Indian internet users regarding 'allergies' and determine its association with COVID-19 vaccine-hesitancy.Methods:We conducted a Google trend analysis to obtain the relative search volume (RSV) for keywords—'skin allergy,' 'drug allergy,' 'food allergy,' 'vaccine allergy,' 'contact dermatitis,' and 'allergy' using a public domain https://trends.google.com/trends. We further obtained state-wise data and statistically analyzed it to assess any association with vaccine-hesitancy.Results:Higher RSV was found for 'vaccine allergy' after the advent of COVID-19 vaccines, showing the steepest peak. 'Skin allergy' showed two peaks. The first peak was after the advent of COVID-19 pandemic and second peak was after introduction of vaccines. RSV of 'contact dermatitis' remained unchanged. Eastern and North-Eastern states showed the highest RSV for 'skin' and 'vaccine' allergies. Literacy rate showed a significant positive correlation with vaccination, whereas vaccine-hesitancy was inversely proportional to RSV for 'allergy.Conclusion:Increased online information-seeking behavior is demonstrated by Indians regarding various 'allergies,' particularly after the advent of COVID-19 vaccines. Literacy was directly proportional to vaccination status, whereas vaccine-hesitancy was inversely proportional to search-volume for 'allergy.'

The Relationship between Online Information-seeking Behavior and Pain Catastrophizing : A Qualitative Study in Patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

The Relationship between Online Information-seeking Behavior and Pain Catastrophizing : A Qualitative Study in Patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Online Information Seeking Behavior among Indonesian during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 vaccination movement in Indonesia until mid-2021 has still not reached the expected number, which is less than 20% of the Indonesian population who receive the first dose of vaccine. Meanwhile, the government's target for accelerating herd immunity is to achieve immunization coverage of 70% by November 2021. Several issues have arisen regarding the public's reluctance to accept the COVID-19 vaccine, such as vaccine readiness, efficacy, conspiracy, halal issues, and the negative side of this vaccine.&#x0D; Aims: This study aims to assess the online behavior of the Indonesian community in seeking information related to the COVID-19 vaccine.&#x0D; Methods: Google trends was used as a data source to see the public interest in several issues including COVID, vaccines, and government policies.&#x0D; Analysis: The analysis was carried out descriptively.&#x0D; Results: The results of this study indicate the movement over time of society towards several terminologies in line with events or the implementation of policies in Indonesia.&#x0D; Conclusion: This research contributes to surveillance of the public's information needs on the COVID-19 issue to avoid misinformation.

Online Health information, health literacy and therapeutic compliance: a theoretical framework

Abstract Introduction The expansion of information sources and easy access to virtual sources are radically changing health information-seeking behavior. In the past, direct interaction with health care providers is rapidly decreasing. A high percentage of individuals are in the habit of checking their health online: information overload, fake news, misinformation and echo chambers effect will be encountered. Methods A review of the literature on health literacy, online health information and its influence on health status and therapeutic compliance was carried out in order to develop a new theoretical framework. The insight approach will allow health care providers to account for the complexity of the relationship between health status and online information and will be useful in moving to a different perspective to assess the field. Results The development of this theoretical framework focuses on the role of online information seeking behaviors' and its connection to levels of health literacy, health status and treatment compliance. Evidence of the spread of misinformation, fake news and at the same time the echo chamber effect has an important effect on the health. An important debate is growing in the literature on the role of fact checking and institutional/expert information in really changing the health behavior of individuals. Conclusions The main development of this framework is certainly related to the need to assess the level of health literacy, also in order to ensure a comprehensive understanding of health information behaviors and their relation to health status. Furthermore, it would be desirable to develop innovative health promotion campaigns as well as to develop the role of nurses as health educators. There is a need to further evaluate the barriers that prevent individuals from having full compliance and an informed and critical understanding of health information. Key messages Adherence is a key factor. Health information online is the key for improve health literacy levels.