HEALTH INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOR (HISB) AMONG THE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

Introduction: Understanding the information seeking behavior of individuals, especially students who are more likely to seek health information than other people, can be seen as an opportunity to provide resources to improve lifestyle or prevent possible health threatening behaviors among students. The main objective of this research is to determine the HISB among students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (TUOMS). Material and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at TUOMS among students in 2017 through using simple random sampling method. Results: The results showed that most of the students had experience of searching information about prevention of illness (47.8%) and general health knowledge (45.1%). The common outcomes of accessing health information by students were their decision to visit the physician (68.2%) and relieving their concern about their condition or illness (60.2%). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that most students are searching for information on diet, physical activity and physical health.