College Students? Health Information-Seeking Behaviors.

Information seeking behaviors and the characteristics college students use to evaluate information sources were investigated. We conducted interviews with college students (n = 503) as a specifically at-risk population. We asked about their health histories, experiences with information seeking, and impressions of source effectiveness and ineffectiveness. Participants' responses were quantified using multiple, independent coders producing eight major categories and 40 subcategories of information sources and 12 factors of source effectiveness or ineffectiveness. Participants most often reported perceiving information as available in the print, electronic, and professional major sources categories, and doctors/physicians, the Internet, and friends source subcategories. Of all the major categories, participants reported that they would most likely consult the health care worker and family major categories, and the doctor/physician, parents, and nurse subcategories. Similarly, participants reported actually using the health care worker, electronic and print media major categories, and the doctor/physician, the Internet, and friends subcategories, rating the health care worker and educational major source categories and the doctor/physician, nurse, and parent subcategories as relatively more effective. Credibility and relevance emerged as most frequently reported as important for evaluating a source as effective or ineffective. Analyses of the relationship between gender, class standing, and experience with a serious illness are also presented. Implications of the findings for professionals working with college student populations and scholars studying information seeking are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]