A review of theoretical models of health information seeking on the web
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paper_title: The British and their use of the Web for health information and advice: a survey

paper_content:

In the UK, both anecdotal and research evidence points to ever greater and more sophisticated use of the Web to provide health information and advice. The study reported here adds to this research with an online survey of Internet users’ reported use of the Web to access information about health and their opinions about the advice that can be obtained there. Over a period of three weeks more than 1,300 people responded to an online questionnaire produced by The British Life and Internet Project; 81 per cent or 997 of the respondents were British. The prime purpose of the questionnaire was to obtain information on the characteristics of the users of health information Web sites, to obtain feedback regarding for what they used online health sites and what were the perceived outcomes associated with using online health information.
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paper_title: The general public's use of (and attitudes towards) interactive, personal digital health information and advisory services

paper_content:

Examines statistically the public's use and attitudes towards interactive and personal health services via an online questionnaire survey and enhances these data with an expert assessment of a number of consumer health sites and their services. Over a period of three weeks more than 1,300 people responded to an online questionnaire produced by The British Life and Internet Project. Of the respondents, 81 per cent were British. The likely potential uptake figure for support group participation among Internet health users is about 20 per cent while around 11 to 13 per cent will go online to describe a medical condition. Those in poor heath were approximately ten to 13 times more likely to have participated in an online support group. Those aged over 65 were four times as likely to e‐mail their doctor. More positive health outcomes were associated with those respondents that participated in online support groups and the least number of health outcomes were associated with those people that maintained e‐mail contact with a doctor or surgery.
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paper_title: From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior

paper_content:

There appears to be general agreement among social psychologists that most human behavior is goal-directed (e. g., Heider, 1958 ; Lewin, 1951). Being neither capricious nor frivolous, human social behavior can best be described as following along lines of more or less well-formulated plans. Before attending a concert, for example, a person may extend an invitation to a date, purchase tickets, change into proper attire, call a cab, collect the date, and proceed to the concert hall. Most, if not all, of these activities will have been designed in advance; their execution occurs as the plan unfolds. To be sure, a certain sequence of actions can become so habitual or routine that it is performed almost automatically, as in the case of driving from home to work or playing the piano. Highly developed skills of this kind typically no longer require conscious formulation of a behavioral plan. Nevertheless, at least in general outline, we are normally well aware of the actions required to attain a certain goal. Consider such a relatively routine behavior as typing a letter. When setting this activity as a goal, we anticipate the need to locate a typewriter, insert a sheet of paper, adjust the margins, formulate words and sentences, strike the appropriate keys, and so forth. Some parts of the plan are more routine, and require less conscious thought than others, but without an explicit or implicit plan to guide the required sequence of acts, no letter would get typed.
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paper_title: Habit and intention in everyday life: The multiple processes by which past behavior predicts future behavior.

paper_content:

Past behavior guides future responses through 2 processes. Well-practiced behaviors in constant contexts recur because the processing that initiates and controls their performance becomes automatic. Frequency of past behavior then reflects habit strength and has a direct effect on future performance. Alternately, when behaviors are not well learned or when they are performed in unstable or difficult contexts, conscious decision making is likely to be necessary to initiate and carry out the behavior. Under these conditions, past behavior (along with attitudes and subjective norms) may contribute to intentions, and behavior is guided by intentions. These relations between past behavior and future behavior are substantiated in a meta-analytic synthesis of prior research on behavior prediction and in a primary research investigation. In everyday explanations of behavior, habits denote one's customary ways of behaving. Claiming that one performed a behavior because of habit provides an understandable explanation for an act that otherwise might seem irrational or even harmful. Habits also are featured in the popular psychology literature in the form of self-help books designed to identify readers' existing habits, evaluate habits' effectiveness in meeting goals, and establish more desirable habits. Habits are not, however, important constructs in most contemporary social psychological models of human behavior. Early in their careers, most psychology graduate students learn that frequency of past behavior, a standard indicator of habit strength (Triandis, 1977, 1980), is the best predictor of
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paper_title: Consumers’ disease information-seeking behaviour on the Internet in Korea

paper_content:

Aim and objectives. This study was conducted to explain the relationships of the factors affecting consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet in Korea. ::: ::: ::: ::: Background. Similar to other countries, Korea is facing an increasing use of Internet as a resource of health information. With the paradigm shifts towards consumer-centred health service, it is expected that more health care consumers will use the Internet actively in the future. ::: ::: ::: ::: Design. A survey was conducted using a self-selected convenience sample. ::: ::: ::: ::: Methods. A conceptual model was derived by extending technology acceptance model and tested via structural equation modelling. ::: ::: ::: ::: Results. The overall goodness of fit of the conceptual model was acceptable. Consumers’ health consciousness, perceived health risk and Internet health information use efficacy were found to influence consumers’ beliefs, attitude and intention of use disease information on the Internet. But Internet health information use efficacy did not significantly influence perceived usefulness. It was also identified that consumers’ perceived credibility of the information in the websites was the main determinant in forming of attitude towards disease information on the Internet. ::: ::: ::: ::: Conclusions. Technology acceptance model has been extended and examined successfully in explaining consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet. It was found that consumers’ cognitive and affective characteristics, determined as initiators in health-related behaviour, also impacted consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet. ::: ::: ::: ::: Relevance to clinical practice. These findings may be used to help nurses to predict and identify the factors affecting individual’s use of disease information on the Internet. Based on this knowledge, nurses will be able to develop nursing intervention programmes for the patients’ health management.
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paper_title: The theory of planned behavior

paper_content:

Research dealing with various aspects of* the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985, 1987) is reviewed, and some unresolved issues are discussed. In broad terms, the theory is found to be well supported by empirical evidence. Intentions to perform behaviors of different kinds can be predicted with high accuracy from attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control; and these intentions, together with perceptions of behavioral control, account for considerable variance in actual behavior. Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are shown to be related to appropriate sets of salient behavioral, normative, and control beliefs about the behavior, but the exact nature of these relations is still uncertain. Expectancy— value formulations are found to be only partly successful in dealing with these relations. Optimal rescaling of expectancy and value measures is offered as a means of dealing with measurement limitations. Finally, inclusion of past behavior in the prediction equation is shown to provide a means of testing the theory*s sufficiency, another issue that remains unresolved. The limited available evidence concerning this question shows that the theory is predicting behavior quite well in comparison to the ceiling imposed by behavioral reliability. © 1991 Academic Press. Inc.
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paper_title: Determinants of Internet use as a preferred source of information on personal health

paper_content:

Abstract Objective To understand the personal, social and cultural factors likely to explain recourse to the Internet as a preferred source of personal health information. Design A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a population of 2923 Internet users visiting a firmly established website that offers information on personal health. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the determinants of site use. Measurement The analysis template comprised four classes of determinants likely to explain Internet use: beliefs, intentions, user satisfaction and socio-demographic characteristics. Seven-point Likert scales were used. An analysis of the psychometric qualities of the variables provided compelling evidence of the construct's validity and reliability. A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the correspondence with the factors predicted by the theoretical model. Findings The regression analysis explained 35% of the variance in Internet use. Use was directly associated with five factors: perceived usefulness, importance given to written media in searches for health information, concern for personal health, importance given to the opinions of physicians and other health professionals, and the trust placed in the information available on the site itself. Conclusion This study confirms the importance of the credibility of information on the frequency of Internet use as a preferred source of information on personal health. It also shows the potentially influential role of the Internet in the development of personal knowledge of health issues.
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paper_title: Assessing IT usage: the role of prior experience

paper_content:

A variety of models that incorporate attitudinal, social, and control factor have been advanced to explain IT usage, of which the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is the most well know. One goal of such models is to develop diagnostic tools to predict information systems acceptance and facilitate design changes before users have experience with a system. However, empirical tests of these models have generally focused on either systems that were already in use by the study participants, or systems that the participants were familiar with, such as word processing packages and spreadsheets. Given this, it is unclear (1) whether models such as TAM are predictive of behavior for inexperienced users and, more importantly, (2) whether the determinants of IT usage are the same for experienced and inexperiened users of a system.
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paper_title: Determinants of the frequency of online health information seeking: Results of a Web-based survey conducted in France in 2007

paper_content:

In the general population, social disparities in Internet practices have been less described than disparities in health information access. Aim is to determine whether there are differences in the frequency of Internet use for health information among health seekers. We conducted an Internet-based survey from November 2006 to March 2007. We considered the 3720 residents of France who had searched for health information during the previous 12 months. This study reveals different uses of the Internet for health information seeking (HIS) between men and women and between the general population and people who work in the health sector. Health status, taking care of somebody who is sick, and active Internet use were associated with higher frequencies of online HIS to varying degrees. The effects of age and level of education were not clear or were not significant. Greater health concerns and some issues in the physician–patient relationship were associated with higher frequencies of Internet use for HIS in the...
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paper_title: Internet Embeddedness: Links with Online Health Information Seeking, Expectancy Value/Quality of Health Information Websites, and Internet Usage Patterns

paper_content:

Abstract To see how the Internet is actually embedded in our lives, this exploratory study examines how Internet users search the Web for important information, especially health or medical information, to make critical decisions, and the perception of how intimately our lives are embedded in the Internet intersects with patterns of health information seeking online and the expected quality of health information websites. Data from a probability sample of 569 Internet users found four types of commonly sought health information clusters online which included information on (a) health improvement, (b) medical treatment, (c) family health, and (d) health issues that are difficult to talk about. Results also show that behavior or behavioral intentions in health information seeking are in fact either a function of value expectancy or the evaluation of health information websites. More importantly, people who often go to the Internet for health information and have high expectations of the value and quality of...
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paper_title: Uses and Gratifications Theory in the 21st Century

paper_content:

Some mass communications scholars have contended that uses and gratifications is not a rigorous social science theory. In this article, I argue just the opposite, and any attempt to speculate on the future direction of mass communication theory must seriously include the uses and gratifications approach. In this article, I assert that the emergence of computer-mediated communication has revived the significance of uses and gratifications. In fact, uses and gratifications has always provided a cutting-edge theoretical approach in the initial stages of each new mass communications medium: newspapers, radio and television, and now the Internet. Although scientists are likely to continue using traditional tools and typologies to answer questions about media use, we must also be prepared to expand our current theoretical models of uses and gratifications. Contemporary and future models must include concepts such as interactivity, demassification, hypertextuality, and asynchroneity. Researchers must also be willing to explore interpersonal and qualitative aspects of mediated communication in a more holistic methodology.
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paper_title: The Adoption and Use of the Internet in South Korea

paper_content:

Recent surveys indicate that the rapid rate of Internet use in South Korea is one of the highest in the world. Indeed, as the one of leading nations for high-speed broadband access, South Korean Internet users virtually dominate the entire gamut of Internet activities-everything from web searches to games to Instant Messenger (IM) chatting-and are one of the leading consumers of on-line shopping for services and goods (“e-commerce”). Even popular social movements have gone “on-line” in South Korea with civil organizations effectively mobilizing their resources through Internet networking. ::: ::: ::: ::: However, a widespread disparity in Internet use has recently come to light in South Korea. In particular, Internet use has been clearly divided by generations, which threatens to create a “new” generation gap and the possibility of further generational conflict in a society already marked by deep generational cleavages. In this paper, we touch upon the adoption of the Internet on the basis of research data that examines the digital divide on a national scale. We examine socio-demographic factors, attitudes toward the Internet, social supports (family support, in particular), and the influence that Internet access has had on the South Korean populace, paying particular attention to diffusion theory which has been considered the most feasible explanation for South Korea's rapid Internet adoption. This research indicates that Internet adoption in South Korea is influenced more by family support than by other characteristics. On the basis of this analysis, this study suggests that comparative studies need to be conducted on a macro level as well as within the socio-cultural context of the particular country.
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paper_title: Predicting and Explaining Intentions and Behavior: How Well Are We Doing?

paper_content:

Meta-analyses of research using the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) show that these models explain on average between 40% and 50% of the variance in intention, and between 19% and 38% of the variance in behavior. This paper evaluates the performance of these models in predicting and explaining intentions and behavior. It discusses the distinction between prediction and explanation, the different standards of comparison against which predictive performance can be judged, the use of percentage of variance explained as a measure of effect size, and presents 9 reasons why the models do not always predict as well as we would like them to do.
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paper_title: GRATIFICATIONS SOUGHT AND MEDIA EXPOSURE An Expectancy Value Model

paper_content:

The results of this investigation of television news support an expectancy value conceptualization that gratifications sought from a media object are a function of a person's beliefs that the object possesses certain attributes mediated by the subjective evaluations of these attributes. The findings parallel those in the expectancy value literature in that the addition of attribute importance to the model adds little to its predictive power. The data also support a prediction (derived from Fishbein's theory) that a belief x evaluation index will have an indirect impact (through gratifications sought) on media exposure. Implications for a uses and gratifications theory of media consumption are discussed.
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paper_title: Health information seeking: a review of measures and methods.

paper_content:

OBJECTIVE ::: Outlines the methods and measures commonly used to study active health information seeking and prescribes important considerations in advancing the study of patient information seeking. ::: ::: ::: METHODS ::: A systematic review of the literature from 1978 to 2010. A single bibliometric database, PsychInfo, identified 648 articles of health information seeking. The 129 articles included in the review were coded by type of sample, measures (n=12) utilized to study health information seeking, and types of study methods (n=5). ::: ::: ::: RESULTS ::: A majority of studies used non-clinical samples and measured general health information seeking (i.e., whether the participant engaged in a search for health information) through cross-sectional study designs. ::: ::: ::: CONCLUSIONS ::: There are varying samples, measures, and designs used to identify those who do or do not seek health information. Future research should look into how health information seeking influences health management and should uncover the social and relational functions of health information seeking using more advanced (and less routinely applied) measures and methods of studying health information seeking. ::: ::: ::: PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS ::: More people are actively searching for health information and health providers should address this in their discussions with patients.
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paper_title: Influences, usage, and outcomes of Internet health information searching: Multivariate results from the Pew surveys

paper_content:

This paper provides results from seven major nationally representative datasets (two in detail) from the Pew Internet and American Life Project to answer two primary questions: (1) what influences people to seek online health information and (2) what influences their perceived outcomes from having access to this information? Cross-tabulations, logistic regressions, and multidimensional scaling are applied to these survey datasets. The strongest and most consistent influences on ever, or more frequently, using the Internet to search for health information were sex (female), employment (not fulltime), engaging in more other Internet activities, more specific health reasons (diagnosed with new health problem, ongoing medical condition, prescribed new medication or treatment), and helping another deal with health issues. Internet health seeking is consistently similar to general Internet activities such as email, news, weather, and sometimes hobbies. A variety of outcomes from or positive assessments of searching for Internet health information are predicted most strongly by sex (female), engaging in other Internet activities, Internet health information seeking including more frequent health seeking, more specific health reasons, belonging to an online support group sharing health interests, and helping another deal with an illness or major health condition. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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paper_title: Patients using the Internet to obtain health information: How this affects the patient–health professional relationship

paper_content:

Abstract Objective Health information is one of the most frequently sought topics on the Internet. A review of the literature was carried out to determine the use of the Internet for health information by the patient and how this could affect the patient–health professional relationship. Methods This study is a literature review, summarizing multiple empirical studies on a single subject and is not intended to be a meta-analysis. Results The review showed that the majority of health related Internet searches by patients are for specific medical conditions. They are carried out by the patient: (1) before the clinical encounter to seek information to manage their own healthcare independently and/or to decide whether they need professional help; (2) after the clinical encounter for reassurance or because of dissatisfaction with the amount of detailed information provided by the health professional during the encounter. Conclusion There has been a shift in the role of the patient from passive recipient to active consumer of health information. Health professionals are responding to the more ‘Internet informed’ patient in one or more of three ways: (1) the health professional feels threatened by the information the patient brings and responds defensively by asserting their ‘expert opinion’ (health professional-centred relationship). (2) The health professional and patient collaborate in obtaining and analysing the information (patient-centred relationship). (3) The health professional will guide patients to reliable health information websites (Internet prescription). Practice implications It is important that health professionals acknowledge patients’ search for knowledge, that they discuss the information offered by patients and guide them to reliable and accurate health websites. It is recommended that courses, such as ‘patient informatics’ are integrated in health professionals’ education.
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paper_title: Caregiving as Women's Work: Women's Experiences of Powerfulness and Powerlessness as Caregivers

paper_content:

In this study, two groups of women caregivers, older family caregivers, and women who do "double duty" caregiving (paid health care professionals who simultaneously are unpaid elder caregivers in their 'off' time), participated in daylong research workshops in which they first identified dimensions of an "ideal" caregiving situation and then, using a critical incident technique, explored the meaning of "power"-feeling powerful and powerless-for them as caregivers. This article is devoted to examining the ways in which women understand the notion of "powerfulness" and "powerlessness" in their work as caregivers. Themes emerging from caregivers' critical incidents are discussed and considered in light of previous literature. The article concludes by drawing implications from the project's findings for policy, practice, advocacy, and conceptual development.
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paper_title: How people obtain their health information--a survey in two Pennsylvania counties.

paper_content:

A sample of 182 respondents to a mail survey in two Pennsylvania counties, one rural, one urban, provided information on the sources of their health information. Research questions addressed were from what sources did they obtain their health information, what differences were there in patterns of response between middle-aged and older residents, and how much did various subgroups use health information. Respondents indicated they received most of their health information from printed materials, television, and informal network members, in that order, with little difference between rural and urban respondents. Radio and organizations, such as unions, were less frequently used as health information sources. The amount of information received from printed materials decreased slightly with age for women, but decreased sharply for men. The amount of information received from TV decreased with age, especially for urban residents. The youngest and oldest groups reported receiving the most health information from printed materials. TV was the most common source of health information for middle-aged adults. The findings indicate that persons disseminating health information should target their efforts through printed materials, TV, and informal networks. The most frequently mentioned sources of health information were TV specials, news stories, magazines, news articles, publications, medical books, and physicians. Radio and organizations, used by large segments of the population, are relatively untapped in terms of their potential, and not fully used when available. The urban elderly appear to receive little health information from any source.
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paper_title: Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology

paper_content:

Valid measurement scales for predicting user acceptance of computers are in short supply. Most subjective measures used in practice are unvalidated, and their relationship to system usage is unknown. The present research develops and validates new scales for two specific variables, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, which are hypothesized to be fundamental determinants of user acceptance. Definitions of these two variables were used to develop scale items that were pretested for content validity and then tested for reliability and construct validity in two studies involving a total of 152 users and four application programs. The measures were refined and streamlined, resulting in two six-item scales with reliabilities of .98 for usefulness and .94 for ease of use. The scales exhibited hgih convergent, discriminant, and factorial validity. Perceived usefulness was significnatly correlated with both self-reported current usage r = .63, Study 1) and self-predicted future usage r = .85, Study 2). Perceived ease of use was also significantly correlated with current usage r = .45, Study 1) and future usage r = .59, Study 2). In both studies, usefulness had a signficnatly greater correaltion with usage behavior than did ease of use. Regression analyses suggest that perceived ease of use may actually be a causal antecdent to perceived usefulness, as opposed to a parallel, direct determinant of system usage. Implications are drawn for future research on user acceptance.
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paper_title: Cancer-Related Information Seeking: Hints from the 2003 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS)

paper_content:

Few nationally representative surveys have assessed the cancer-related information seeking behavior of the American public. Data for our analysis were from the 2003 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). The goals of our analysis were to characterize cancer information seekers (3,011) and nonseekers (3,348) in terms of sociodemographic, health care access, and health status variables, and to describe the nature of the cancer-related information being sought by information seekers. Significant and independent associations with seeking status were identified for gender, age, race, income, education, personal and family history of cancer, and having a usual source of health care. Information seekers were less likely to be male (OR = .51); aged 65 or older (OR = .40); Hispanic (OR = .60); to have a usual source of health care (OR = .70); and more likely to have incomes greater than $50,000 (OR = 1.50), some college (OR = 1.87) or a college degree (OR = 2.95), a prior cancer diagnosis (OR = 3.57), ...
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paper_title: Consumers’ disease information-seeking behaviour on the Internet in Korea

paper_content:

Aim and objectives. This study was conducted to explain the relationships of the factors affecting consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet in Korea. ::: ::: ::: ::: Background. Similar to other countries, Korea is facing an increasing use of Internet as a resource of health information. With the paradigm shifts towards consumer-centred health service, it is expected that more health care consumers will use the Internet actively in the future. ::: ::: ::: ::: Design. A survey was conducted using a self-selected convenience sample. ::: ::: ::: ::: Methods. A conceptual model was derived by extending technology acceptance model and tested via structural equation modelling. ::: ::: ::: ::: Results. The overall goodness of fit of the conceptual model was acceptable. Consumers’ health consciousness, perceived health risk and Internet health information use efficacy were found to influence consumers’ beliefs, attitude and intention of use disease information on the Internet. But Internet health information use efficacy did not significantly influence perceived usefulness. It was also identified that consumers’ perceived credibility of the information in the websites was the main determinant in forming of attitude towards disease information on the Internet. ::: ::: ::: ::: Conclusions. Technology acceptance model has been extended and examined successfully in explaining consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet. It was found that consumers’ cognitive and affective characteristics, determined as initiators in health-related behaviour, also impacted consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet. ::: ::: ::: ::: Relevance to clinical practice. These findings may be used to help nurses to predict and identify the factors affecting individual’s use of disease information on the Internet. Based on this knowledge, nurses will be able to develop nursing intervention programmes for the patients’ health management.
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paper_title: A PRINCIPLE OF UNCERTAINTY FOR INFORMATION SEEKING

paper_content:

This paper proposes an uncertainty principle for information seeking. The principle is based on the results of a series of studies conducted by the author into the user's perspective of the information search process. A basic principle of uncertainty is elaborated by six corollaries. The principle is proposed to explain the constructive process of information seeking and use bringing affective considerations to what has usually been regarded as a cognitive process.
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paper_title: Internet Embeddedness: Links with Online Health Information Seeking, Expectancy Value/Quality of Health Information Websites, and Internet Usage Patterns

paper_content:

Abstract To see how the Internet is actually embedded in our lives, this exploratory study examines how Internet users search the Web for important information, especially health or medical information, to make critical decisions, and the perception of how intimately our lives are embedded in the Internet intersects with patterns of health information seeking online and the expected quality of health information websites. Data from a probability sample of 569 Internet users found four types of commonly sought health information clusters online which included information on (a) health improvement, (b) medical treatment, (c) family health, and (d) health issues that are difficult to talk about. Results also show that behavior or behavioral intentions in health information seeking are in fact either a function of value expectancy or the evaluation of health information websites. More importantly, people who often go to the Internet for health information and have high expectations of the value and quality of...
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paper_title: User acceptance of information technology: system characteristics, user perceptions and behavioral impacts

paper_content:

Abstract Lack of user acceptance has long been an impediment to the success of new information systems. The present research addresses why users accept or reject information systems and how user acceptance is affected by system design features. The technology acceptance model (TAM) specifies the causal relationships between system design features, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward using, and actual usage behavior. Attitude theory from psychology provides the rationale for hypothesized model relationships, and validated measures were used to operationalize model variables. A field study of 112 users regarding two end-user systems was conducted to test the hypothesized model. TAM fully mediated the effects of system characteristics on usage behavior, accounting for 36% of the variance in usage. Perhaps the most striking finding was that perceived usefulness was 50% more influential than ease of use in determining usage, underscoring the importance of incorporating the appropriate functional capabilities in new systems. Overall, TAM provides an informative representation of the mechanisms by which design choices influence user acceptance, and should therefore be helpful in applied contexts for forecasting and evaluating user acceptance of information technology. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
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paper_title: The concept of relevance in IR

paper_content:

This article introduces the concept of relevance as viewed and applied in the context of IR evaluation, by presenting an overview of the multidimensional and dynamic nature of the concept. The literature on relevance reveals how the relevance concept, especially in regard to the multidimensionality of relevance, is many faceted, and does not just refer to the various relevance criteria users may apply in the process of judging relevance of retrieved information objects. From our point of view, the multidimensionality of relevance explains why some will argue that no consensus has been reached on the relevance concept. Thus, the objective of this article is to present an overview of the many different views and ways by which the concept of relevance is used--leading to a consistent and compatible understanding of the concept. In addition, special attention is paid to the type of situational relevance. Many researchers perceive situational relevance as the most realistic type of user relevance, and therefore situational relevance is discussed with reference to its potential dynamic nature, and as a requirement for interactive information retrieval (IIR) evaluation.
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paper_title: Internet Embeddedness: Links with Online Health Information Seeking, Expectancy Value/Quality of Health Information Websites, and Internet Usage Patterns

paper_content:

Abstract To see how the Internet is actually embedded in our lives, this exploratory study examines how Internet users search the Web for important information, especially health or medical information, to make critical decisions, and the perception of how intimately our lives are embedded in the Internet intersects with patterns of health information seeking online and the expected quality of health information websites. Data from a probability sample of 569 Internet users found four types of commonly sought health information clusters online which included information on (a) health improvement, (b) medical treatment, (c) family health, and (d) health issues that are difficult to talk about. Results also show that behavior or behavioral intentions in health information seeking are in fact either a function of value expectancy or the evaluation of health information websites. More importantly, people who often go to the Internet for health information and have high expectations of the value and quality of...
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paper_title: Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology

paper_content:

Valid measurement scales for predicting user acceptance of computers are in short supply. Most subjective measures used in practice are unvalidated, and their relationship to system usage is unknown. The present research develops and validates new scales for two specific variables, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, which are hypothesized to be fundamental determinants of user acceptance. Definitions of these two variables were used to develop scale items that were pretested for content validity and then tested for reliability and construct validity in two studies involving a total of 152 users and four application programs. The measures were refined and streamlined, resulting in two six-item scales with reliabilities of .98 for usefulness and .94 for ease of use. The scales exhibited hgih convergent, discriminant, and factorial validity. Perceived usefulness was significnatly correlated with both self-reported current usage r = .63, Study 1) and self-predicted future usage r = .85, Study 2). Perceived ease of use was also significantly correlated with current usage r = .45, Study 1) and future usage r = .59, Study 2). In both studies, usefulness had a signficnatly greater correaltion with usage behavior than did ease of use. Regression analyses suggest that perceived ease of use may actually be a causal antecdent to perceived usefulness, as opposed to a parallel, direct determinant of system usage. Implications are drawn for future research on user acceptance.
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paper_title: Alternative measures of systems effectiveness: associations and implications

paper_content:

This article reports results from a study that examined the implementation of computerized modeling systems in 29 organizations. The focus is on the use of various MIS effectiveness measures that are reported in MIS research. Specifically, we examine the relationship between user perceived effectiveness measures (user satisfaction) and behavioral measures of system effectiveness (system use). ::: ::: While much of the existing MIS research implies that the two types of measures are positively associated with each other, the results from this study indicate otherwise. By using a perceived effectiveness instrument that is strongly grounded in a widely accepted theoretical model, the results provide important insights into the nature of this relationship. ::: ::: The importance of interpreting perceived and behavioral measures of system effectiveness is demonstrated by examining the effect of system sophistication on MIS effectiveness.
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paper_title: Predicting health behaviour : research and practice with social cognition models

paper_content:

Contents List of Contributors Preface 1. Predicting and Changing Health Behaviour: A Social Cognition Approach by Mark Conner and Paul Norman 2.The Health Belief Model by Charles Abraham and colleagues 3. Protection Motivation Theory by Paul Norman and colleagues 4. Self-Determination Theory (NEW) by Martin Hagger and colleagues 5. Theory of Planned Behaviour by Mark Conner and colleagues 6.Prototype-Willingness Model (NEW) by Rick Gibbons and colleagues 7. Social Cognitive Theory and the Health Action Process Approach by Ralf Schwarzer and Aleks Luszczynska 8.Stage Theories: Transtheoretical Model and Precaution Adoption Process Model by Steve Sutton and colleagues 9. Implementation Intentions by Andy Prestwich and colleagues 10. Health Behaviour Change Techniques (NEW) by Susan Michie and colleagues 11. Predicting and Changing Health Behaviour: Future Directions by Paul Norman and Mark Conner Author Index Index
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paper_title: Consumers’ disease information-seeking behaviour on the Internet in Korea

paper_content:

Aim and objectives. This study was conducted to explain the relationships of the factors affecting consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet in Korea. ::: ::: ::: ::: Background. Similar to other countries, Korea is facing an increasing use of Internet as a resource of health information. With the paradigm shifts towards consumer-centred health service, it is expected that more health care consumers will use the Internet actively in the future. ::: ::: ::: ::: Design. A survey was conducted using a self-selected convenience sample. ::: ::: ::: ::: Methods. A conceptual model was derived by extending technology acceptance model and tested via structural equation modelling. ::: ::: ::: ::: Results. The overall goodness of fit of the conceptual model was acceptable. Consumers’ health consciousness, perceived health risk and Internet health information use efficacy were found to influence consumers’ beliefs, attitude and intention of use disease information on the Internet. But Internet health information use efficacy did not significantly influence perceived usefulness. It was also identified that consumers’ perceived credibility of the information in the websites was the main determinant in forming of attitude towards disease information on the Internet. ::: ::: ::: ::: Conclusions. Technology acceptance model has been extended and examined successfully in explaining consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet. It was found that consumers’ cognitive and affective characteristics, determined as initiators in health-related behaviour, also impacted consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet. ::: ::: ::: ::: Relevance to clinical practice. These findings may be used to help nurses to predict and identify the factors affecting individual’s use of disease information on the Internet. Based on this knowledge, nurses will be able to develop nursing intervention programmes for the patients’ health management.
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paper_title: The theory of planned behavior

paper_content:

Research dealing with various aspects of* the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985, 1987) is reviewed, and some unresolved issues are discussed. In broad terms, the theory is found to be well supported by empirical evidence. Intentions to perform behaviors of different kinds can be predicted with high accuracy from attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control; and these intentions, together with perceptions of behavioral control, account for considerable variance in actual behavior. Attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are shown to be related to appropriate sets of salient behavioral, normative, and control beliefs about the behavior, but the exact nature of these relations is still uncertain. Expectancy— value formulations are found to be only partly successful in dealing with these relations. Optimal rescaling of expectancy and value measures is offered as a means of dealing with measurement limitations. Finally, inclusion of past behavior in the prediction equation is shown to provide a means of testing the theory*s sufficiency, another issue that remains unresolved. The limited available evidence concerning this question shows that the theory is predicting behavior quite well in comparison to the ceiling imposed by behavioral reliability. © 1991 Academic Press. Inc.
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paper_title: Desperately seeking the audience

paper_content:

Millions of people all over the world are avid members of the television audience. Yet, despite the central place television occupies in contemporary culture, our understanding of its complex and dynamic role in everyday life remains surprisingly limited. Focusing on the television audience, Ien Ang asks why we understand so little about its nature, and argues that our ignorance arises directly out of the biases inherent in prevailing official knowledge about it. She sets out to deconstruct the assumptions of this official knowledge by exploring the territory where it is mainly produced - the television institutions. Ang draws on Foucault's theory of power/knowledge to scrutinize television's desperate search for the audience, and to identify differences and similarities in the approaches of American commercial television and European public service television to their audiences. She looks carefully at recent developments in the field of ratings research, in particular the controversial introduction of the 'people meter' as an instrument for measuring the television audience. By defining the limits and limitations of these institutional procedures of knowledge production, Ien Ang opens up new avenues for understanding television audiences. Her ethnographic perspective on the television audience gives new insights into our television culture, with the audience seen not as an object to be controlled, but as an active social subject, engaging with television in a variety of cultural and creative ways.
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paper_title: Empirical Evaluation of the Revised Technology Acceptance Model

paper_content:

Davis et al. Davis, F. D., R. P. Bagozzi, P. R. Warshaw. 1989. User acceptance of computer technology: A comparison of two theoretical models. Management Sci.358 982-1003. proposed, tested, and revised the Technology Acceptance Model TAM, which attempts to explain and predict why users sometimes accept and sometimes reject information systems IS. The research reported here 1 provides a confirmatory, empirical test of the revised TAM and 2 introduces and objective measure of technology acceptance, actual usage rather than self-report usage. Subjects' beliefs about the usefulness and ease of use of an electronic mail system, their intentions to use the system, and their usage of it 15 weeks later were measured in a longitudinal study. The results confirmed that the TAM is a valuable tool for predicting intentions to use an IS. The findings here combined with results from other studies in this area suggest that the original TAM may be more appropriate than the two-version revised TAM. However, the addition of an experience component to the original TAM may be a significant enhancement. In addition, the results support that self-report usage may not be an appropriate surrogate measure for actual usage.
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paper_title: User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models

paper_content:

Computer systems cannot improve organizational performance if they aren't used. Unfortunately, resistance to end-user systems by managers and professionals is a widespread problem. To better predict, explain, and increase user acceptance, we need to better understand why people accept or reject computers. This research addresses the ability to predict peoples' computer acceptance from a measure of their intentions, and the ability to explain their intentions in terms of their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and related variables. In a longitudinal study of 107 users, intentions to use a specific system, measured after a one-hour introduction to the system, were correlated 0.35 with system use 14 weeks later. The intention-usage correlation was 0.63 at the end of this time period. Perceived usefulness strongly influenced peoples' intentions, explaining more than half of the variance in intentions at the end of 14 weeks. Perceived ease of use had a small but significant effect on intentions as well, although this effect subsided over time. Attitudes only partially mediated the effects of these beliefs on intentions. Subjective norms had no effect on intentions. These results suggest the possibility of simple but powerful models of the determinants of user acceptance, with practical value for evaluating systems and guiding managerial interventions aimed at reducing the problem of underutilized computer technology.
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paper_title: Determinants of Internet use as a preferred source of information on personal health

paper_content:

Abstract Objective To understand the personal, social and cultural factors likely to explain recourse to the Internet as a preferred source of personal health information. Design A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a population of 2923 Internet users visiting a firmly established website that offers information on personal health. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the determinants of site use. Measurement The analysis template comprised four classes of determinants likely to explain Internet use: beliefs, intentions, user satisfaction and socio-demographic characteristics. Seven-point Likert scales were used. An analysis of the psychometric qualities of the variables provided compelling evidence of the construct's validity and reliability. A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the correspondence with the factors predicted by the theoretical model. Findings The regression analysis explained 35% of the variance in Internet use. Use was directly associated with five factors: perceived usefulness, importance given to written media in searches for health information, concern for personal health, importance given to the opinions of physicians and other health professionals, and the trust placed in the information available on the site itself. Conclusion This study confirms the importance of the credibility of information on the frequency of Internet use as a preferred source of information on personal health. It also shows the potentially influential role of the Internet in the development of personal knowledge of health issues.
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paper_title: Web Work: Information Seeking and Knowledge Work on the World Wide Web

paper_content:

Section I: Information Seeking and Knowledge Work. 1. Information Seeking. 2. The Structure and Dynamics of Organizational Knowledge. Section II: Knowledge Work on Intranets. 3. The Intranet as Infrastructure for Knowledge Work. 4. Designing Intranets to Support Knowledge Work. Section III: Information Seeking on the World Wide Web. 5. Models of Information Seeking on the World Wide Web. 6. Understanding Organizational Web Use. Coda. References. Index.
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paper_title: Contributing Factors to the Use of Health-Related Websites

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This study explicates the influence of audience factors on website credibility and the subsequent effect that credibility has on the intention to revisit a site. It does so in an experimental setting in which participants were given two health-related search tasks. Reliance on the web for health-related information positively influenced website credibility in both searches. Knowledge was a significant predictor for the search task that required more cognitive ability. Of the credibility dimensions, trust/expertise and depth were significant predictors of intention to revisit a site in both searches. Fairness and goodwill were nonsignificant predictors in both searches.
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paper_title: Models in information behaviour research

paper_content:

This paper presents an outline of models of information seeking and other aspects of information behaviour, showing the relationship between communication and information behaviour in general with information seeking and information searching in information retrieval systems. It is suggested that these models address issues at various levels of information behaviour and that they can be related by envisaging a ‘nesting’ of models. It is also suggested that, within both information seeking research and information searching research, alternative models address similar issues in related ways and that the models are complementary rather than conflicting. Finally, an alternative, problem‐solving model is presented, which, it is suggested, provides a basis for relating the models in appropriate research strategies.
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paper_title: Consumers’ disease information-seeking behaviour on the Internet in Korea

paper_content:

Aim and objectives. This study was conducted to explain the relationships of the factors affecting consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet in Korea. ::: ::: ::: ::: Background. Similar to other countries, Korea is facing an increasing use of Internet as a resource of health information. With the paradigm shifts towards consumer-centred health service, it is expected that more health care consumers will use the Internet actively in the future. ::: ::: ::: ::: Design. A survey was conducted using a self-selected convenience sample. ::: ::: ::: ::: Methods. A conceptual model was derived by extending technology acceptance model and tested via structural equation modelling. ::: ::: ::: ::: Results. The overall goodness of fit of the conceptual model was acceptable. Consumers’ health consciousness, perceived health risk and Internet health information use efficacy were found to influence consumers’ beliefs, attitude and intention of use disease information on the Internet. But Internet health information use efficacy did not significantly influence perceived usefulness. It was also identified that consumers’ perceived credibility of the information in the websites was the main determinant in forming of attitude towards disease information on the Internet. ::: ::: ::: ::: Conclusions. Technology acceptance model has been extended and examined successfully in explaining consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet. It was found that consumers’ cognitive and affective characteristics, determined as initiators in health-related behaviour, also impacted consumers’ disease information–seeking behaviour on the Internet. ::: ::: ::: ::: Relevance to clinical practice. These findings may be used to help nurses to predict and identify the factors affecting individual’s use of disease information on the Internet. Based on this knowledge, nurses will be able to develop nursing intervention programmes for the patients’ health management.
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paper_title: Internet Embeddedness: Links with Online Health Information Seeking, Expectancy Value/Quality of Health Information Websites, and Internet Usage Patterns

paper_content:

Abstract To see how the Internet is actually embedded in our lives, this exploratory study examines how Internet users search the Web for important information, especially health or medical information, to make critical decisions, and the perception of how intimately our lives are embedded in the Internet intersects with patterns of health information seeking online and the expected quality of health information websites. Data from a probability sample of 569 Internet users found four types of commonly sought health information clusters online which included information on (a) health improvement, (b) medical treatment, (c) family health, and (d) health issues that are difficult to talk about. Results also show that behavior or behavioral intentions in health information seeking are in fact either a function of value expectancy or the evaluation of health information websites. More importantly, people who often go to the Internet for health information and have high expectations of the value and quality of...
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Title: A review of theoretical models of health information seeking on the web

Section 1: Introduction
Description 1: Introduce the topic of health information seeking on the web, including the relevance and goals of the paper.

Section 2: Literature review
Description 2: Provide a comprehensive review of the existing research on health information seeking, highlighting key studies and findings.

Section 3: Theoretically grounded studies of health information seeking on the web
Description 3: Discuss studies that are theoretically grounded and empirically based, and explain how these studies were identified and selected.

Section 4: Four theoretically grounded quantitative studies of health information seeking on the web
Description 4: Examine in detail four specific survey studies that explore health information seeking from a theoretical perspective, presenting methodologies and key findings.

Section 5: Study 1: middle aged women seeking health information on the web
Description 5: Discuss Yoo's study on middle-aged women seeking health information, focusing on the theoretical framework, methodology, and key results.

Section 6: Study 2: health information seeking and internet embeddedness in Hong Kong
Description 6: Describe Leung's study on internet embeddedness and health information seeking, including the theoretical foundation, survey execution, and major findings.

Section 7: Study 3: seeking disease information online in South Korea
Description 7: Present Yun and Park's study on disease information seeking using the Technology Acceptance Model, detailing the methodology and significant results.

Section 8: Study 4: a multi-method study of women seeking health information on the web
Description 8: Outline Marton's multi-method study focusing on the web's role in women's health information seeking, including methodological approaches and main findings.

Section 9: Discussion
Description 9: Compare and critique the theoretical frameworks and research methods of the reviewed studies, analyzing their strengths and limitations.

Section 10: Summary
Description 10: Summarize the findings of the paper, emphasizing the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and suggesting directions for future research.