Factors Influencing Health Information Seeking Behavior Using the Internet Among Pregnant Women
Keywords:
Health information seeking behavior, health information need, barriers to health information, pregnant womenAbstract
Abstract
This study aimed to examine factors predicting health information seeking behaviors using the internet among pregnant women. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit a sample of 120 pregnant women who received antenatal care at a private hospital, Bangkok. Data were carried out in May 2018 Research instruments included a demographic record, the Pregnancy Health Information Need’s scale, the Pregnancy Health Information Barriers’s scale, and the Pregnancy Health Information Seeking Behavior’s scale. Their reliability were .90, .86, and .79, respectively. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data.
The result found that health information needs and barriers together accounted for 48.2% of variance prediction (R2 = .482, F(2,117)= 54.42, p < .001) of health information seeking behaviors. After adding age, gestational age, gravidity, and health condition in the second model, the prediction increased 4.6% (R2 = .528, F (6,113) = 21.10, p < .001). These findings suggest that nurses and related health care providers should focus on health information needs and assess health information barriers of pregnant women to create the database that respond to the information needs of pregnant women and manage the barriers of health seeking information using the internet.
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