• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.57-80
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to examine the information search behavior of medical consumers visiting a hospital, and investigate the consumption values of medical consumers, classified according to the information search behavior, and characteristics of online health and disease information. This study also tried to identify the factors affecting medical consumers classified according to information search behavior, and gain an extensive understanding of medical consumers'consumption values and online information use. The analysis results of this study are as follows: First, the consumption values of medical consumers were classified into a total of 7 factors, i.e. future-positive value, family-oriented value, sustainablehealth value, rational-progressive value, social-cooperative value, socialachiever value and hedonistic-individual value. Next, the characteristics of medical consumers'online information search behavior were classified into three types of consumer groups, i.e. the limited information-oriented consumer group, the practical information-oriented consumer group and the passionate information-oriented consumer group. Second, the analysis of the differences among the three groups classified according to the characteristics of the information search behavior in terms of consumption values, use of online information sources, utility and the intention to reuse online information showed that all the differences were statistically significant. The passionate information-oriented consumer group showed the highest scores in the sustainable-health value, the social-achiever value and the hedonisticindividual value. Third, the factors affecting medical consumers, classified into three groups according to the characteristics of the information search behavior, were found to be socio-demographic variables like consumers' age and occupation, consumers'consumption values, use of online information sources, and utility of online information. This study tried to understand what values medical consumers have according to the differences in the information search behavior by examining the consumption values of medical consumers according to the information search behavior. The significance of this study lies in the fact that consumption values are instrumental in understanding medical consumers by identifying the fundamental motives and desires of consumers' behavior.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.121-127
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• 2008

Objectives : This study investigated the health information such as the general health information, the health product information, and the hospital information, and we wanted to identify the association between internet health information and the health related behavior by analyzing the process after people search the Internet. Methods : A telephone survey with structured questionnaire was performed by trained surveyors. The respondents were sampled proportionate to the Korean demographic distribution with considering the city size and the populations' ages and gender. The survey was conducted from October 2006 to November 2006. Results : Out of 3,758 successfully connected persons of age 20 or more, 871(23.2%) respondents had used Internet health information during the last year. The purposes of searching the Internet for health was, 1) to get general health information (717 cases, 81.0%), 2) shopping for health product (109 cases, 12.3%) and 3) seeking information about hospital selection (59 cases, 6.7%). Our research showed that the process after searching the Internet for health information depends on the purpose of the search. 68.8% of the searchers for general health information, 67% of the searchers for health product shopping and 64.4% of the searchers seeking information to guide hospital selection were satisfied with their Internet search. However one third of the respondents reported not being satisfied with the result of the search. Conclusions : Unsatisfied consumers with internet health information tended to ask lay referrals from others or they gave up seeking health information. The health information system should be improved to increase the accessibility and to provide reliable and effective information. Also, a more user-centric community is needed in order to strengthen the effective role of lay referrals among the internet users.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.289-324
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• 2021

This study reports on early adolescents' health information seeking behaviors that investigated cognitive, affective, and physical aspects of behaviors as they experienced to find information on their needs of health information seeking. In spite of the current widespread internet health information use by adolescents, little research exists to illuminate how they are engaged in cognitive, affective, and physical information behaviors in information search process. Qualitative data were collected through individual interviews informed by Kuhlthau's information search process. Forty adolescents from S city in South Korea participated in the project. Findings report thoughts, feelings, and actions aspects of information search process. This study expects to extend our knowledge of the adolescents' health information seeking behaviors of Kuhlthau's information search process.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.27-36
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• 2024

This study aims to investigate whether information awareness, search purpose, and search expectations influence information avoidance among university students. The data were collected by using a self-completion questionnaire with convenience sampling of students from one university. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression using R 4.2.3. The main results are as follows: First, both search purpose and search expectations exhibited a significant inverse correlation with all information avoidance dependent variables. Second, there was a significant difference in the mean of search expectations across majors, such that science majors had higher search expectations than humanities majors. Third, there were significant differences in the means of the information avoidance-system and information avoidance variables by major, such that both variables had lower means for the science than the humanities group. Fourth, among the independent variables, search expectation had a significant effect on information avoidance-personal: the higher the search expectation variable, the lower the information avoidance-personal variable. This study confirmed that information avoidance should not only consider the psychological, emotional, and affective aspects of information seekers, but also that information seekers' information search purpose and search expectations are predictors of information avoidance.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.119-127
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• 2018

Background: This study aimed to examine (1) the patterns of online health information search with respect to seeking and scanning, and (2) how online search, along with eHealth literacy, predicts perceived information usefulness in the context of diet and weight control. Methods: Online survey was conducted with 299 adults from the consumer panel recruited for the purpose of quality assessment of the Korean National Health Information Portal in 2016. We conducted paired sample t-test and multiple logistic regression to address the research questions. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 24.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and SAS ver. 9.3 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Results: Of the respondents, 38.8% were 'high seek-high scanners,' 35.8% were 'low seek-low scanners,' 13.0% were 'high seek-low scanners,' and 12.4% were 'low seek-high scanners.' eHealth literacy was a significant, positive predictor of online information scanning (odds ratio [OR], 2.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41-4.29), but not for online information seeking (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.00-3.05). With respect to perceived usefulness of online information seeking, online seeking (OR, 4.90; 95% CI, 2.19-11.00) and eHealth literacy (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 1.11-4.75) were significant predictors. Perceived usefulness of online scanning had a significant association with online scanning (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.08-5.22), but not with eHealth literacy. Conclusion: To increase the effectiveness of the health policy for online information search and related outcomes in the context of diet and weight control, it is important to develop education programs promoting eHealth literacy.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.231-243
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze factors affecting health promotion behavior among nursing students according to health information seeking behavior. Methods: The study design was a descriptive survey and questionnaires were collected from 240 nursing students who have studied in nursing colleges located in "J" province. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, One-way ANOVA, $Scheff{\grave{e}}$ test, Pearson Correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression. Results: In Model I, general characteristics influenced of 17.6% of health promotion behavior factors. Health status, selection criteria and frequency of information search were statistically useful as influencing of health promotion behavior factors. In addition, in model II health information seeking behavior influenced of 18.1% of health promotion behavior factors. Conclusion: The results indicate that the health information seeking behaviors proved the influence on health promotion behavior of nursing students.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.219-237
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• 1998

Economists have identified informed consumer choice as one element of a better-functioning health care market, and thus increased attention is directed to the role of information in the health care system. In this country, however, little work has been done for understanding consumers' search behavior in health care market. Based upon this observation, expectant mothers' information search for the choice of delivery care institution was investigated. In doing so, two hypotheses were proposed: 1) Those women who were more active in the search for information would make choice of a delivery care institution with more confidence and would feel greater subsequent satisfaction. 2) The activeness of expectant mothers in information search would depend upon their various personal characteristics, such as socio-economic status, obstetric conditions, and knowledge and attitudes in relation to delivery and health care. The data used for the analysis were collected through face-to-face interviews with those women who had childbirth during the period from January 1, 1996 to the date of interview in February 1998. The survey was conducted using prepared structured questionnaire in Seoul. The sample was drawn from each of arbitrarily defined four regions of Seoul, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest, in proportion to the number of births reported in 1996 in each of them. The distribution of the interviewed women by educational level was made similar to that of mothers of new babies reported in 1996. The sample size was planned to be about 300, but ended up with 319. The results of analysis were generally consistent with the proposed hypotheses. Apparently, information increased expectant mothers' confidence in selecting a delivery care institution and subsequent satisfaction with the institution. Indication is that policy efforts should be strengthened to produce and disseminate relevant, comprehensible and credible information that can aid patient decision making. Also, attention should be directed to motivate patients to actively engage in information search from adequate sources.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 2012

Previous research on online health (e-health) information was primarily focused on consumer information search behavior and information quality. Although studies addressing online information quality have flourished, they have yet to thoroughly examine whether consumers actually use the information they search. The purspose of this study suggests a conceptual framework that examines the potential antecedents of a consumers' willingness to depend on e-health information as an indicator of the consumer's trust of the provided e-health information. The proposed antecedents include healthcare product involvement, online skill level, perceived quality, and credibility of the source. Using structural equation modeling on online survey data, seven hypotheses, which describe the relationships between the variables of the model, were tested. The results indicate that consumer willingness to depend on provided e-health information was significantly influenced by the consumers' perceived quality and credibility of specific e-health information. Consumer involvement in healthcare and their online skill-level, respectively, also positively related to perceived quality and credibility regarding e-health information.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.527-542
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• 2011

Purpose: This paper is a report of an analysis of the concept of pro-environmental health behavior. Methods: Rodgers' method of evolutionary concept analysis was used to analyze the concept. A literature search using keywords 'pro-environmental health behavior, 'environmental health behavior', and 'eco-friendly health behavior' was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, PsychINFO, and RISS and utilizing the results published from 1983 to 2011. Database and bibliographic searches yielded 84 records. Results: Four critical attributes of pro-environmental health behavior were identified as 'prevention and protection', 'internal process', 'altruism', and 'alternative'. Antecedents to pro-environmental health behavior were climate change, environmental pollution, and health risk. The consequences of pro-environmental health behavior were individual and social behavioral changes. Conclusion: The concept of pro-environmental health behavior developed in this project may offer information to be considered as the concept is further develop and efforts are made to measure the attributes of pro-environmental health behavior.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.76-86
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was done to examine the effects of information searches from media as communication cues for health behavior, specifically smoking, drinking liquor, cancer examinations, and regular exercise. Methods: Data were collected through a web survey with a sample size of 600 and analyzed using SPSS 18.0. Results: The results show that the newspaper as a communication cue has an effect on health behavior such as regular exercise and smoking, whereas television only affects regular exercise. Conclusion: The results indicate that there are differences between media as communication cues to improve health behavior and that messages related to health information should be exposed with cautious consideration to media choice so as to increase the effects of message. Managerial implications of the study results are suggested.