A Comprehensive Model of Cancer‐Related Information Seeking Applied to Magazines

Abstract

This article examines a comprehensive model of information seeking (CMIS) resulting from the synthesis of three theoretical research streams: the health belief model, uses and gratifications research, and a model of media exposure and appraisal. The model postulates that four health‐related factors—demographics, direct experience, salience, and beliefs—determine two information carrier factors—perceptions of information carrier characteristics and utility—which, in turn, determine information‐seeking actions. A sample of 366 adult women drawn from a medium‐size midwestern city was surveyed by telephone on the issue of mammography use and cancer‐related information seeking. The model resulted in an excellent fit to the data received. However, the values of the paths associated with the health‐related factors were extremely low, suggesting that models of information seeking from mass media, such as magazines, should focus on purely communicative factors. These results are discussed in terms of future research and the pragmatic benefits of this theoretical framework. Copyright © 1993, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved