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The subject of the content of medicinal chemical journals is briefly discussed as an aid for medicinal chemists who require information from clinical, health science, pharmaceutical science and chemical science areas to carry out their work. Some future changes in the present journal concept are considered. (Author/AB)

This report documents the findings of a study into the information-seeking behavior of allied health personnel in a three county region in Ontario and also a survey of the resources and services which already exist to satisfy the information needs of these people. The study was undertaken for the purpose of gathering decision-making information prior to the establishment of a medical library network in Ontario. The medical network as envisioned by the Committee would fulfill three functions: (1) Allow a health worker to ask a single query to set the whole retrieval function into operation, (2) Integrate, where possible, special collections and services within the province into the system, and (3) Have, as central resource, federal health library services, which would provide access to MEDLARS and other international information resources. The constantly changing nature of health care patterns makes it imperative that good library service be available to all people involved, either directly or indirectly, in the care of patients. The proposed information network would aim to provide quick and effective service to all health personnel in the province of Ontario. The network would comprise three levels of responsibility: the primary contact library, the health resource library, and the central resource. (Author/SJ)

The use of "Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders: Citations from the Literature" and "Biogenic Amines and Transmitters in the Nervous System" are compared. (PF)

BackgroundMany patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss may seek hearing health information and social support online, although little is known about the online information seeking behaviour.ObjectiveThe present study aimed to examine the discussions around sudden sensorineural hearing loss in Reddit posts.MethodA total of 526 Reddit posts about sudden sensorineural hearing loss were extracted and analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods.ResultsThe content analysis identified eight main categories. Most of the posts were on topics of: sharing personal experiences (34 per cent), describing symptoms (31 per cent), discussing treatment options (36 per cent) and discussing possible causes (19 per cent) of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The sudden sensorineural hearing loss Reddit posts varied significantly in terms of linguistic variables when compared to baseline Reddit posts. Reddit posts by individuals with sudden sensorineural hearing loss had significantly higher engagement, higher authenticity and made more references to their body when compared to other users.ConclusionThe study results provide insights that can be helpful for professionals during clinical interactions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted educational institutions around the world. Public health authorities have been at the forefront of the crisis launching public health campaigns to c...

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been significant variations in the level of adoption of public health recommendations across international jurisdictions and between cultural groups. Such variations have contributed to the dissimilar levels of risks associated with this world-changing viral infection and have highlighted the potential role of culture in assigning meaning and importance to personal protective behaviours. The purpose of this study is to describe the cultural factors during the COVID-19 pandemic that shaped protective health behaviours in the Chinese-Canadian community, one of the largest Chinese diasporas outside of Asia. Methods A qualitative descriptive design was employed. Content analysis was used to analyze the data from semi-structured virtual interviews conducted with 83 adult Chinese-Canadian participants residing in a metropolitan area in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Findings The cultural factors of collectivism, information seeking behaviour, symbolism of masks, and previous experience with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) emerged as themes driving the early adoption of personal protective behaviours within the Chinese-Canadian community during the first wave of COVID-19. These protective behaviours that emerged prior to the first nation-wide lockdown in Canada included physical distancing, mask use, and self-quarantine beyond what was required at the time. Conclusion These findings have implications for the development of future public health interventions and campaigns targeting personal protective behaviours in this population and other ethnic minority populations with similar characteristics.

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the types and sources of information sought by older adults along with their motivations in the Midwestern United States.Design/methodology/approachInterviews were conducted with 30 older adults residing in rural communities around the Midwestern United States during late-summer (July/August) 2020, using a protocol based on Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology. The resulting data was analyzed using standard content analysis procedures, guided by the theoretical frameworks based on Dervin's Sense-Making and Williamson's Ecological Model of Information Behavior. Implications of COVID-19 for the normative behaviors described in these models are discussed.FindingsFindings show that older adults were concerned primarily with health and political information during this period, but that this information was not necessarily sought only to address an informational need, but also to satisfy the need to maintain social and emotional connections in coping with isolation and loneliness. Sources of information that allowed for social interaction with people were favored. Wider personal networks (community members) were strained by the social distancing measures and closures. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for considering the impact of social restrictions on information seeking behaviors of older adults in a time of crisis.Originality/valueThis study is the first, known to the authors, that applied the two adopted theoretical frameworks to explore information seeking behaviors of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health information influences consumer decision making to seek, select, and utilize services. Online searching for mental health information is increasingly common, especially by adolescents and parents. We examined historical trends and factors that may influence population-level patterns in information seeking for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We extracted Google Trends data from January 2004 to February 2020. Keywords included "ADHD," "ADHD treatment," "ADHD medication," and "ADHD therapy." We examined trends (systematic change over time) and seasonality (repeating pattern of change) via time-series analyses and graphics. We also used interrupted time-series analyses to examine the impact of celebrity and pharmaceutical events. Queries of "ADHD medication" increase, while queries for "ADHD therapy" remain relatively low despite a positive linear trend. Searches for "ADHD treatment" displayed a downward trend in more recent years. Analyses on seasonality revealed that holiday breaks coincided with a decrease in search interest, while post-break periods illustrated a rise, and the ADHD Awareness Month (October) coincided with a rise of public interest in all four search terms. Celebrity effects were more prominent in earlier years; the "Own It" pharmaceutical campaign may have increased ADHD awareness and the specificity of searches for "ADHD medication." The anonymous, accessible, and low-cost nature of seeking information online makes search engines like Google important sources of mental health information. Changing search patterns in response to seasonal, advocacy, and media events highlight internet-based opportunities for raising awareness and disseminating empirically supported information.

Introduction Maintaining productive employment can be challenging for people with ongoing low back pain (LBP) or neck pain (NP) due to pain, function and participation sequelae. Resources and information to support them staying at work may be beneficial, although preferences for the nature and accessibility of resources remain uncertain. The current study aimed to explore the work experiences and information-seeking behaviours of employed individuals with ongoing LBP or NP, to support them in staying at work. Method Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 40 participants currently employed with ongoing LBP or NP. The interview schedule covered participants' experience of managing their LBP or NP at work, resources sought to assist with finding or maintaining employment, and where they accessed these resources. Interviews were recorded and analysed using thematic analysis. Results Participants were employed in a wide range of job types and most reported a decrease in productivity. Five key themes were identified: (1) the meaning of work, (2) to disclose or not, (3) information seeking, (4) gaps in resources, (5) trusted sources. Work was highly valued by participants, despite the challenges in maintaining employment with ongoing LBP or NP. To support staying at work a range of information was sought by participants, but challenges in accessing reputable resources and trusting the sources were identified as key issues. Conclusion Opportunities exist for easily accessible, multi-level information from trustworthy sources targeted at the employer organisations, individuals and clinicians to support people in staying at work with ongoing LBP or NP.

Purpose As the cancer survivor population increases, diminished health care provider capacity will place more responsibility on survivors to obtain health information. Many survivors search for cancer information online, yet there is a dearth of research on how survivors obtain and engage with this information. This study examined cancer survivors’ information-seeking behaviors and perceptions during a self-guided online search task. Methods Ten adult cancer survivors (largely breast and thyroid) completed a task in which they searched for online cancer-related information of their choice. Participants were asked to verbally narrate the procedural aspects of the task and provide real-time responses to the search results and experiences related to the task. Transcripts were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach, and codes and themes were examined and interpreted. Results Participants searched primarily for information specific to their cancer type and stage, seeking personalized information about risk factors, prognosis, and treatments. Additionally, participants reported having to engage in excessive navigation to find relevant cancer information, citing aesthetic, usability, and credibility features of the websites that they considered barriers to obtaining this information. Conclusions Survivors’ online health information needs require streamlined cancer information resources that are disaggregated by cancer type, stage, and treatment course and located on websites with aesthetic and usability features that facilitate expedient searches for personally relevant cancer information. Implications for Cancer Survivors This study provides useful perspectives of cancer survivors that may inform the development of online cancer resources to better serve this population.

Background The radiology trainee on-call experience has undergone many changes in the past decade. The development of numerous online information sources has changed the landscape of opportunities for trainees seeking information while on-call. In this study, we sought to understand the current on-call information seeking behaviors of radiology trainees. Methods We surveyed radiology fellows and residents at three major metropolitan area academic institutions. Survey topics included demographic information, on-call volumes, on-call resource seeking behaviors, preferred first and second line on-call resources and rationale for particular resource usage. Results A total of 78 responses from trainees were recorded, 30.5% of the entire surveyed population. 70.5% of trainees preferred Radiopaedia as their first line resource. 26.9% of trainees preferred StatDx as their second line resource. 75.6% of respondents preferred their first line resource because it was easiest and fastest to access. 70.3% of respondents assigned a rating of 4 out of 5 when asked how often information they look for is found while on-call. There was a statistically significant difference according to gender (p = 0.002) with a higher percentage of males listing Radiopaedia as their first line resource compared to females. Discussion The radiology trainee on-call experience is influenced by various factors. Over the past decade, online resources, particularly the open access resource Radiopaedia and the paid service StatDx, have overwhelmingly become the preferred first and second line options, as demonstrated by our study results.

Objective Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global public health problem, causing long-term burden to patients and caregivers. Patients and their families often resort to seeking online information regarding TBI management while awaiting formal health care consultations. Although this information is accessible and immediately available, little is known about the quality of online resources. We evaluated the accessibility, relevance, and readability of information regarding TBI from major online search engines. Methods TBI-related search terms were entered into 2 online search engines (Google and Yahoo), and the first 30 websites per search were assessed for eligibility. Quality (DISCERN score, JAMA Benchmark score) and readability (Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease Score) were assessed. Associations between search ranking, quality, and readability were evaluated. Results In total, 202 websites were evaluated with mean DISCERN score 36.5 ± 9.9/80, signifying poor global quality, and mean JAMA Benchmark score 2.8 ± 1.1/4. The majority required 9–12 years of education (113/202; 55.9%) according to Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level and categorized as “Difficult” on Flesch Reading Ease Score (94/202; 46.5%). Website quality was not associated with search ranking or readability. Conclusions There is a paucity of high-quality online resources for patients with TBI. Herein, we highlight: 1) the importance of guidance from healthcare professionals regarding online-information seeking; and 2) recommendations for the most useful online resources available.

Introduction People with chronic conditions, common among rehabilitation populations, may have risk factors that put them at higher risk for more severe illness due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Objective To describe and compare adherence to public health guidelines, willingness to adhere to public health guidelines (including vaccination), information‐seeking, and perceived trustworthiness of information among people with and without chronic conditions during the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Design National cross‐sectional online survey of people with and without chronic health conditions conducted from April through May 2020. Participants Survey respondents were people with and without chronic conditions, ≥18 years old, able to read English, and in the United States since January 2020. In total, 3109 survey responses were received and 2572 complete unique responses were used in the analysis. Methods The survey assessed demographics, adherence to public health measures, information‐seeking, and perceived trustworthiness of information sources. Descriptive analyses characterized the sample, and t‐tests and nonparametric tests were used to compare those with and without a chronic condition on the public health measures. Results Participants with a chronic condition reported high adherence to public health recommendations and high willingness to adhere to anticipated recommendations across a wide range of chronic conditions and similar to those without a chronic condition despite advised caution for people with underlying health conditions. Of those with a chronic condition, 70.8% reported a willingness to be vaccinated. Participants reported accessing information from varied sources, with perceived trust highest for the health care providers and lowest for social media. Conclusion Participants reported high adherence to public health measures, regardless of chronic condition status, during the early phase of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Knowledge of adherence to public health measures, information‐seeking, and trust in information can assist rehabilitation providers and organizations seeking to mitigate disease transmission, particularly for those with chronic conditions.

To improve future decisions, people should seek information based on the value of information (VOI), which depends on the current evidence and the reward structure of the upcoming decision. When additional evidence is supplied, people should update VOI to adjust subsequent information seeking, but the neurocognitive mechanisms of this updating process remain unknown. We used a modified beads task to examine how the VOI is represented and updated in the human brain of both sexes. We theoretically derived, and empirically verified, a normative prediction that the VOI depends on decision evidence and is biased by reward asymmetry. Using fMRI, we found that the subjective VOI is represented in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Critically, this VOI representation was updated when additional evidence was supplied, showing that DLPFC dynamically tracks the up-to-date VOI over time. These results provide new insights into how humans adaptively seek information in the service of decision making. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT For adaptive decision making, people should seek information based on what they currently know and the extent to which additional information could improve the decision outcome, formalized as the value of information (VOI). Doing so requires dynamic updating of VOI according to outcome values and newly arriving evidence. We formalize these principles using a normative model and show that information seeking in people adheres to them. Using fMRI, we show that the underlying subjective VOI is represented in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and critically, that it is updated in real time according to newly arriving evidence. Our results reveal the computational and neural dynamics through which evidence and values are combined to inform constantly evolving information seeking decisions.

Objective:During COVID-19, the Internet was a prime source for getting relevant updates on guidelines and desirable information. The objective of the present study was to determine the nutritional immunity information-seeking behaviour during COVID-19 in India.Design:Google Trends (GTs) data on relevant COVID-19 and nutritional topics were systematically selected and retrieved. Data on newly reported COVID-19 cases were also examined on a daily basis. The cross-correlation method was used to determine the correlation coefficient between the selected terms and daily new COVID-19 cases, and the joinpoint regression models were utilised to measure monthly percent change (MPC) in relative search volumes (RSV).Setting:Online.Participants:People using Google search during the period 1 January 2020–31 August 2020 in India.Results:The date of peak searches can be attributed to the COVID-19 guidelines announcement dates. All the nutritional terms showed a significant increase in average monthly percentage change. The higher than the average daily rise in COVID-19 cases leads to a higher than average increase in RSV of nutritional terms with the greatest association after 14–27 d. The highest mean relative search volume for nutritional terms was from Southern India (49·34 ± 7·43), and the lowest was from Western India (31·10 ± 6·30).Conclusion:There was a significant rise in the Google searches of nutritional immunity topics during COVID-19 in India. The local/regional terms can be considered for better outreach of public health guidelines or recommendations. Further automation of Google Trends using programming languages can help in real-time monitoring and planning various health/nutritional events.

BACKGROUND: eHealth literacy can affect one’s health behavior through the intention to motivate individuals and allow them to make health-related choices. AIM: This study aimed to examine the association between eHealth literacy and self-care behavior among youths in Yogyakarta during the coronavirus disease pandemic. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 455 never-married youths aged 15–24 years who lived in Yogyakarta Province completed the online survey that was conducted from October 5 to October 19, 2020. There were some indicators measured in the survey: eHealth Literacy, health information-seeking behavior, the intention of health maintenance, self-maintenance of health behavior, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and attitude toward health maintenance. Path analysis was conducted to determine the influencing factors of eHealth literacy and self-care behavior. RESULTS: Five in 10 youths accessed the internet more than 4 hours a day, though more than half of youths had low eHealth literacy levels. Intention (β = 0.09; 95% CI = 0.01–0.18; p = 0.037), perceived behavioral control (β = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.38–0.54; p ≤ 0.001), and subjective norms (β = 0.24; 95% CI = 0.16–0.33; p ≤ 0.001) had a significant positive direct effect on youth self-care behavior. Attitude indirectly affects self-care behavior through the intention (β = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.39–0.53; p ≤ 0.001) together with eHealth literacy (β = 0.11; 95% CI= 0.04–0.18; p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Health literacy does not explicitly affect youths’ self-care behavior, but it becomes crucial when it builds youths’ intention to behave healthier. The positive impact of intention to enhance self-health care seems to have occurred only if eHealth literacy was adopted.

Objective Despite being key to reducing the occurrence of pre-eclampsia in high-risk women, adherence to aspirin prophylaxis is low, reflecting multifactorial challenges faced by pregnant women. It is therefore important to understand the barriers and facilitators of aspirin adherence in pregnancy. This sub-analysis of a qualitative study conducted to better understand barriers and facilitators of aspirin adherence was set to describe informational needs related to aspirin use in pregnancy. Study design A qualitative study was conducted with 14 postnatal women from North-East of England, who declared various levels of non-adherence to aspirin (0–5/7 prescribed). A thematic framework analysis of semi-structured interviews was used. Outcome measures Emerging themes associated with informational needs about aspirin use in pregnancy. Results Main themes identified a) Informational needs, b) Nature of the information seeking behaviour (active vs passive), c) Sources of information, d) Preferred format of information, e) Partners seeking knowledge. Not all women actively seek information; some choose not to pursue it as they find thinking of hypothetical risks disturbing. When information is accessed, women use a wide range of informational resources from scientific articles and National Health Services website to social media sources and word-of-mouth. Women admit that reading leaflets can be difficult, preferring to receive information in interactive ways. Although partners seek information about risks and risk reduction strategies, they are often not included in conversations with health care professionals. Conclusion New interactive and accessible informational resources are needed to engage pregnant women and their partners in aspirin prophylactic therapy.

Objective:As part of an update of feeding benchmarks targeting children aged 0–3 years, this study aimed to explore parental perceptions, information-seeking practices and needs concerning infant and young child feeding (IYCF) to design an efficient communication strategy.Design:Participants were recruited using the quota sampling to complete an online survey. Effects of parity, child age, prematurity, parental education and financial situation on parents’ responses were evaluated separately.Setting:France.Participants:A nationally representative sample of 1001 parents of children Results:Parents whose child had any medical condition affecting feeding (children with medical condition (CMC), 17 %) were considered separately from healthy children’s parents. All the healthy children’s parents recognised the importance of IYCF for children’s health and growth; however, one-third considered the available advice contradictory and not guilt-free. The most used information sources were healthcare professionals (HCP, 81 %), internet (72 %) and parental networks (63 %). The most influential sources (mean influence ± sd) included HCP (7·7 ± 1·7/10), childcare professionals (7·3 ± 1·8/10) and parental networks (6·9 ± 1·8/10). Parents searched for practical tips for implementing IYCF starting when their child was 5 months old. Differences regarding the type of source used by parents with higher v. lower educations were small. Search strategies differed according to parity or child age but not to prematurity. The CMC parents reported slightly different practices and needs.Conclusions:Parents receive information from multiple sources, which can lead to confusion when deciding which advice to follow. A public health communication strategy adapted to the current parental needs should target these various sources.

BACKGROUND The majority of the US population have poor knowledge of cancers related to human papillomavirus (HPV). Identifying best sources for communicating this information can guide strategies to promote HPV vaccination. OBJECTIVES To assess the relationship between sources of health information and individuals' knowledge of HPV-related cervical and oropharyngeal cancer. METHODS This study conducts logistic regression on the most recent wave (2019) of the Health Information National Trends Survey. Dependent variables are indicators for self-reported awareness that HPV causes (a) cervical cancer and (b) oropharyngeal cancer. The primary indicator is a variable for different sources of health information: The Internet, professional sources, print materials, friends/family and never looked for health information. RESULTS Being female, young, non-Hispanic White and having college education is associated with higher odds of knowing about HPV-related cervical cancer. Controlling for demographic factors, individuals using professionals and the Internet are more likely to know that HPV causes cervical cancer (aOR: 2.65, 95% CI: 1.66, 4.25; aOR: 2.47, 95% CI: 1.75, 3.50, respectively) compared to those who have never looked for health information. Similar results were found for HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer. CONCLUSION Findings provide implications for targeted messaging through effective channels to improve HPV vaccination uptake.

Hypotheses and beliefs guide credit assignment – the process of determining which previous events or actions caused an outcome. Adaptive hypothesis formation and testing are crucial in uncertain and changing environments in which associations and meanings are volatile. Despite primates’ abilities to form and test hypotheses, establishing what is causally responsible for the occurrence of particular outcomes remains a fundamental challenge for credit assignment and learning. Hypotheses about what surprises are due to stochasticity inherent in an environment as opposed to real, systematic changes are necessary for identifying the environment’s predictive features, but are often hard to test. We review evidence that two highly interconnected frontal cortical regions, anterior cingulate cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal area 47/12o, provide a biological substrate for linking two crucial components of hypothesis-formation and testing: the control of information seeking and credit assignment. Neuroimaging, targeted disruptions, and neurophysiological studies link an anterior cingulate – 47/12o circuit to generation of exploratory behaviour, non-instrumental information seeking, and interpretation of subsequent feedback in the service of credit assignment. Our observations support the idea that information seeking and credit assignment are linked at the level of neural circuits and explain why this circuit is important for ensuring behaviour is flexible and adaptive.

PurposeAlthough uncertainty has been identified as a key crisis characteristic and a multi-faceted construct essential to effective crisis management research and practice, only a few studies examined publics' perceived uncertainty with a focus on crisis severity uncertainty, leaving crisis responsibility uncertainty uninvestigated in organizational crisis settings.Design/methodology/approachTo close this research gap empirically, this study employed data from an online survey of a total of 817 US adults to examine how participants' crisis responsibility uncertainty and their attribution-based crisis emotions might impact their crisis responses such as further crisis information seeking.FindingsFirst, findings show that participants' crisis responsibility uncertainty was negatively associated with their attribution-independent (AI) crisis emotions (i.e. anxiety, fear, apprehension and sympathy) and external-attribution-dependent (EAD) crisis emotions (i.e. disgust, contempt, anger and sadness), but positively associated with internal-attribution-dependent (IAD) crisis emotions (i.e. guilt, embarrassment and shame). Second, crisis responsibility uncertainty and AI crisis emotions were positive predictors for participants' further crisis information seeking. Third, AI crisis emotions and IAD crisis emotions were parallel mediators for the relationship between participants' crisis responsibility uncertainty and their further crisis information seeking.Practical implicationsOrganizations need to pay attention to the perceived uncertainty about crisis responsibility and attribution-based crisis emotions since they can impact the decision of seeking crisis information during an ongoing organizational crisis.Originality/valueThis study improves uncertainty management in organizational crisis communication research and practice, connecting crisis responsibility uncertainty, attribution-based crisis emotions and publics' crisis information seeking.

BACKGROUND The increasing incidence of cancer among young adults (18-40 years old) is of concern in China. OBJECTIVES This study aims to examine the influence of cancer information-seeking behaviours (CISB) on young adults' worries about cancer and participation in screening. METHODS This study analysed data from two probability sample surveys conducted in 2012 and 2017 in China. The questions in the questionnaire remained the same for better comparison. The sample size was 1212 in the 2012 survey, and 2178 in the 2017 survey. RESULTS From 2012 to 2017, among young adults, there was a decline in cancer information seeking, diversity of cancer information sought and cancer worry, while an improvement in cancer information-seeking experience was found. Also, CISB had significant associations with cancer worry and health screening over the 5 years. DISCUSSION The level of young adults' cancer information seeking remains low in China, and this group is not fully aware of their potential risks of getting cancer. CONCLUSION Although young adults find the experience of looking for cancer information easier in 2017, health campaigns may be necessary to encourage young adults to find out more about their cancer risks, and to participate more in health screening.

Globally, the novel COVID-19 has been recognized as one of the most important pandemics and devastating diseases in human history, with many deaths and morbidities. In the absence of effective treatment and limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine, people must adhere to recommended preventive measures. This study aimed to determine the level of COVID-19 knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and health information-seeking and preventive behaviors as well as associated factors with preventive behaviors in a sample of Iranian students at Persian Gulf University. Data was collected using an online structured and validated questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square, and Spearman correlation tests were applied to analyze data. The significance level was set at P < 0.05. In total, 98% (319/325) of the participants completed the survey. A majority of participants were aware of the three main COVID-19 symptoms: fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath, while half of them were unaware of gastrointestinal problems caused by COVID-19. More than half of the subjects had a low perceived susceptibility and severity toward COVID-19. Most of the participants engaged in preventive behaviors and got COVID-19 information from social media and the Internet. Preventive behavior was associated with perceived susceptibility (P = 0.015), perceived severity (P = 0.014), and health information seeking (P < 0.001) of individuals toward COVID-19. The results of our research can help health authorities develop health promotion programs for student populations by providing baseline data.

The major aim of the study was to investigate the effects of information seeking behaviour on accessibility of library services by students with visual impairment. The study was carried out at Hamu Mukasa Library of Uganda Christian University in Mukono, Uganda. The study objectives were to weigh the needs of information to Students with Visual Impairment (SWVI) in UCU library, assess information seeking behaviors of SWVI at UCU library, to evaluate the library facilities and services currently available for SWVI, to interrogate the sources of information for SWVI and to analyze the challenges encountered by SWVI while seeking for information at UCU library. The researcher used a descriptive design confirming about the truthfulness of the matter of fact to give wright answers to the research questions in an understandable manner giving the exact picture of what transpires amidst the SWVI while seeking for information from the Library. The study applied the qualitative together with quantitative research methods venturing into and making use of questionnaires and extracting information from the documents. The target population in the study included SWVI and staff at Uganda Christian University (UCU) Hamu Mukasa library. The study targeted the visually impaired students plus library staff members who serve or train information search skills to the students. A sample size of 100 participants was chosen from the total population of 150 whereby sample size of library staff was 60 and a sample of 40 students with visual impairment. The findings revealed that the library staff have inadequacy skills to allow them understand the needs of SWVI and their information seeking behaviours, thus failure to serve SWVI diligently. In regard to this, the study is mandated to air out the services provided, the facilities available and showing how they are insignificant to suite the information requirements of these particular users of the library. The study was well-timed to handle the assessment on effects of information seeking behaviour while accessing library services by (SWVI) at Uganda Christian University. The study recommended to the government, academic libraries, Non-Government Organisations and other agencies serving visually impaired people; to work together on the strategies to improve library facilities and information services for the visually impaired students.

Muluken Mengiste,1 Mohammedjud Hassen Ahmed,1 Adina Bogale,2 Tesfahun Yilma2 1Department of Health Informatics, Institute of Public Health, Mettu University, Metu Zuria, Ethiopia; 2Department of Health Informatics, Institute of Public Health, University of Gondar, Gondar, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Muluken MengisteMettu University Correspondence: PO Box 318, Metu Zuria, EthiopiaEmail mulukenb21@gmail.comBackground: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. The burden of diabetes mellitus is increasing rapidly in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Diabetes information seeking is essential for patients with diabetes to better manage and control their diabetes. However, information seeking about disease prevention and treatment is low in developing countries.Objective: This study aims to assess the diabetes information-seeking behavior and its associated factors among patients with diabetes in Debre Markos Referral Hospital, Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia.Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional quantitative study supplemented with a qualitative study was conducted among 423 subjects from March to April 2019. A structured questionnaire and in-depth interview were used to collect the required data from the study subjects. The data were entered using Epi Info version 7.2.2. Data processing and analysis were conducted using SPSS version 23. Descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model were used for the quantitative study, and thematic content analysis was used for the qualitative study. The significance test cut-off value for bivariate analysis was P< 0.2 and the cut-off value for multivariate analysis was P< 0.05. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were used to interpret the results.Results: Out of 423 study participants, only 41.6% of patients with diabetes were diabetes information seekers. After adjusting all other factors in the final model, educational status, place of residence, comorbidity and health literacy were significantly associated with diabetes information seeking.Conclusion: This study result indicates that the overall prevalence of information seeking among patients with diabetes toward diabetes was low. Having higher educational status, urban place of residence, the presence of comorbidity and adequate health literacy level increased the likelihood of diabetes information-seeking behavior among patients with diabetes.Keywords: diabetes mellitus, information, information seeking, information-seeking behavior, Ethiopia

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the information-seeking behavior of Egyptian parents of autistic children.Design/methodology/approachThe study sample consists of 61 parents across Egypt, divided into six focus groups, as equal as possible, to represent Northern, Middle and Southern Egypt.FindingsDmographically, of the 61 parents, 32 (52.5%) were fathers, and 29 (47.5%) were mothers. A large number of parents' ages ranged from 31 to 45 years old. The highest percentage of them was holding a BA, followed by a high school/diploma, and the highest percentage was found to be married. The parents of autistic children followed many methods and channels to obtain supportive information related to their children's disease. They used many types of information, which varied between formal and informal sources. While just over a quarter of Egyptian parents prefer to use formal sources (books, newspapers, magazines, health publications, pamphlets, as well as specialized libraries), more than three-quarters of them used informal sources, such as mobile/smartphones, the Web, social media and social networking sites. The information related to the search for institutions supporting autistic people came in the first place, then that information related to searching for specialized centers in treating autistic children, then information related to rehabilitation, integration and psychological support centers for these children and then information related to the search for financial aid provided by charitable or even government agencies. Some parents were found to have limited awareness of their children's treatment mechanism, as some of them do not consider the need to treat their children in a systematic, continuous, and systematic manner. Similarly, the lack of basic services and shortage of government centers specializing in the treatment of these children. Parents also emphasized the lack of government support, as well as the lack of curative research centers. Some also pointed out that there was a shortage of workshops for the rehabilitation of their children and themselves as well.Originality/valueThis research is considered to be the first research of its kind at the local and Arab levels, which is also one of the few studies at the regional level that is interested in this community of information seekers. The findings of this research can raise awareness about the information behavior of Egyptian parents of autistic children among those who are interested in the role of the information and its use by specific groups of the information society, as well as decision makers.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-11-2020-0494