Dataset Information

A survey on adolescent health information seeking behavior related to high-risk behaviors in a selected educational district in Isfahan.

ABSTRACT:

Backgrounds

The characteristics and conditions of growth and development have made adolescence one of the most vital and influential ages for prevention and health promotion, especially in the area of high-risk behaviors. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to determine adolescent health information seeking behavior related to high-risk behaviors in a selected educational district in Isfahan (Iran).

Methodology

The present study was of an applied type, which was conducted using the survey research method. The statistical population consisted of adolescent students at public schools in Isfahan (6519 subjects), and the sample size was determined to be 364 based on Cochran's formula. The sampling method was of a cluster sampling type, and the data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was approved by medical librarians, and using the Cronbach's alpha method, the reliability was obtained to be 0.85. SPSS 16 software was used for data analysis at two statistical levels: descriptive and inferential (independent t-test, one-sample t-test, chi-square, Pearson correlation coefficient and Mann-Whitney).

Findings

"Lack of mobility" was the most important health information need related to adolescent high-risk behaviors. The most important sources to obtain health information related to high-risk behaviors were "the Internet" with a mean score of 3.69 and "virtual social media" with a mean score of 3.49 out of 5. Adolescents had a positive attitude towards health information. The most important barriers to seeking health information were mentioned as follows: "difficulty in determining the quality of information found", "absence of appropriate information", and "concerns about the disclosure of their problems or illness to others". From the perspective of adolescents, the most important criterion for the evaluation of information quality was "the trueness and correctness of the information" and the need for health information related to high-risk behaviors was higher in girls than in boys.

Conclusions/significance

Considering adolescents' positive attitude towards use of health information, it is necessary to put valid information at their disposal through different information resources, taking into account their level of information literacy. Accordingly, medical librarians' abilities are suggested to be used for the production, evaluation, and introduction of health-related reading materials in the field of high-risk behaviors in easy language and suitable for adolescents.

SUBMITTER: Esmaeilzadeh S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6221342 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

A survey on adolescent health information seeking behavior related to high-risk behaviors in a selected educational district in Isfahan.

Esmaeilzadeh Somayeh S Ashrafi-Rizi Hasan H Shahrzadi Leila L Mostafavi Firozeh F

PloS one 20181107 11

<h4>Backgrounds</h4>The characteristics and conditions of growth and development have made adolescence one of the most vital and influential ages for prevention and health promotion, especially in the area of high-risk behaviors. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to determine adolescent health information seeking behavior related to high-risk behaviors in a selected educational district in Isfahan (Iran).<h4>Methodology</h4>The present study was of an applied type, which was conducted using ...[more]

PMID: 30403763

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Project description:BackgroundDental health is often neglected by the majority of the population and has contributed to the global burden of oral diseases. We assessed awareness, utilization and barriers to seeking oral health care among adults in Nebbi District, Uganda.MethodsA community-based, cross sectional study was conducted in the central division, Nebbi District in Uganda among adults between the age of 18 years or older. An interviewer-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection on socio-demographic characteristics, oral health awareness, oral health utilization, associated factors and barriers.ResultsA total of 400 adults with a median age of 32 years (interquartile range 24-43) years were enrolled. More than half (57.5%, n = 230) of the participants were female. Participants identified smoking (42.8%, n = 171) and consumption of sugary foodstuffs (29.0%, n = 116) as risk factors for oral disease. Not brushing was also identified by 260 participants (65.0%) as the cause of tooth decay and 95.8% (n = 383) believed brushing one's teeth could prevent tooth decay. Of the 51.5% (n = 206) who had experienced a toothache or discomfort 12 months prior to the study but only about half (52%, n = 106) had sought healthcare from a dental clinic or facility. About 89.5% (n = 94) of the participants were able to see a dentist during their last visits. Dental carries (76.6%, n = 70) and gum bleeding (14.9%, n = 14) were the most frequent reasons for visiting a dental clinic, and 73.7% (n = 70) had their tooth extracted. Barriers to seeking oral healthcare were cost of treatment (47.5%, n = 190), and long waiting time (18.5%, n = 74). The odds of seeking oral healthcare was 2.8-fold higher in participants who were being married (Odds ratio (OR): 2.8, 95% CI 1.3-6.3, p = 0.011) and 3.5-fold higher among housewives (COR: 3.5, 95% CI 1.1-11.4, p = 0.040).ConclusionAbout half of the participants had sought healthcare following a dental condition. Cost of treatment seems to be an important factor affecting utilization of oral health services. Optimization of costs, and creating awareness regarding benefits of utilizing preventive dental services are recommended.

Project description:BackgroundWorldwide, the internet is an increasingly important channel for health information. Many theories have been applied in research on online health information seeking behaviors (HISBs), with each model integrating a different set of predictors; thus, a common understanding of the predictors of (online) HISB is still missing. Another shortcoming of the theories explaining (online) HISB is that most existing models, so far, focus on very specific health contexts such as cancer. Therefore, the assumptions of the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model (PRISM) as the latest integrative model are applied to study online HISB, because this model identifies the general cognitive and sociopsychological factors that explain health information seeking intention. We shift away from single diseases and explore cross-thematic patterns of online HISB intention and compare predictors concerning different health statuses as it can be assumed that groups of people perceiving themselves as ill or healthy will differ concerning their drivers of online HISB. Considering the specifics of online HISB and variation in individual context factors is key for the development of generalizable theories.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to contribute to the development of the concept of online HISB in 2 areas. First, this study aimed to explore individual-level predictors of individuals' online HISB intention by applying the postulates of PRISM. Second, we compared relevant predictors of online HISB in groups of people with different health statuses to identify cross-thematic central patterns of online HISB.MethodsData from a representative sample of German internet users (n=822) served to explain online HISB intentions and influencing patterns in different groups of people. The applicability of the PRISM to online HISB intention was tested by structural equation modeling and multigroup comparison.ResultsOur results revealed PRISM to be an effective framework for explaining online HISB intention. For online HISB, attitudes toward seeking health information online provided the most important explanatory power followed by risk perceptions and affective risk responses. The multigroup comparison revealed differences both regarding the explanatory power of the model and the relevance of predictors of online HISB. The online HISB intention could be better explained for people facing a health threat, suggesting that the predictors adopted from PRISM were more suitable to explain a problem-driven type of information-seeking behavior.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that attitudes toward seeking health information online and risk perceptions are of central importance for online HISB across different health-conditional contexts. Predictors such as self-efficacy and perceived knowledge insufficiency play a context-dependent role-they are more influential when individuals are facing health threats and the search for health information is of higher personal relevance and urgency. These findings can be understood as the first step to develop a generalized theory of online HISB.

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Dataset Information

A survey on adolescent health information seeking behavior related to high-risk behaviors in a selected educational district in Isfahan.

Backgrounds

Methodology

Findings

Conclusions/significance

Publications

A survey on adolescent health information seeking behavior related to high-risk behaviors in a selected educational district in Isfahan.

Similar Datasets

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