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Health Information—Seeking Behavior
Abstract
Seeking information about one's health is increasingly documented as a key coping strategy in health-promotive activities and psychosocial adjustment to illness. In this article, the authors critically examine the scientific literature from 1982 to 2006 on the concept of health information-seeking behavior (HISB) to determine its level of maturity and clarify the concept's essential characteristics. A principle-based method of concept analysis provides the framework for exploring the nature of HISB. The authors reviewed approximately 100 published articles and five books reporting on HISB. Although HISB is a popular concept used in various contexts, most HISB definitions provide little insight into the concept's specific meanings. The authors describe the concept's characteristics, contributing to a clearer understanding of HISB, and discuss operationalizations, antecedents, and outcomes of HISB. Such an analysis of HISB might guide further theorizing on this highly relevant concept and assist health care providers in designing optimal informational interventions.
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“This blend of qualitative methods, sometimes referred to as methodological triangulation, supported insight from the subjective and the group realities and has been reported as contributing to both data completeness and the trustworthiness of research (Creswell and Miller 2000; Golafshani 2003; Lambert and Loiselle 2007; Vandermause 2007).”
From "You Have the Choice of Whether You're Going to Get Help or Attempt Suicide": Exploring the Process and Impact of Mental Health Help-Seeking with Young People (16–25 Years) (2025) · cites this paper as Lambert and Loiselle 2007
In the citing paper
“Both focus groups and individual interviews were included as several researchers in the healthcare space [47] have found that the combination of individual interviews and focus groups can offer a more nuanced understanding of clinical phenomena.”
From A Qualitative Study of Participant Feedback on an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Group-Based Intervention for Parents of Youth with Anxiety Disorders. (2026) · cites this paper as [47]
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Looking for Information: A Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs, and Behavior
(2016) · Studies in information · doi:10.1108/s2055-53772016 · Cited by 1,537
Public health and online misinformation: challenges and recommendations
Swire-Thompson, B., & Lazer, D. (2020) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040119-094127 · Cited by 1,170
Combining individual interviews and focus groups to enhance data richness
Lambert, S. D., & Loiselle, C. G. (2008) · Journal of Advanced Nursing · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04559.x · Cited by 1,318
“Informed by our previous work on ISB (Loiselle 1995, Loiselle et al. 2006, Lambert & Loiselle 2007), a semi-structured interview guide was developed for use with both focus groups and individual interviews.”
MethodJacobs, W., Amuta, A. O., & Jeon, K. C. (2017) · Cogent Social Sciences · doi:10.1080/23311886.2017.1302785 · Cited by 639
“Beyond identifying psychological and social factors that influence use of one information source over another, it is important to examine the context in which health information seeking occurs (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007; Mills & Todorova, 2016).”
BackgroundOnline Health Information Seeking Behavior: A Systematic Review
Jia, X., Pang, Y., & Liu, L. S. (2021) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare9121740 · Cited by 547
“Seeking health information online allows health information consumers to obtain knowledge about their health issues, deal with health problems, and make health decisions, and have behavior change [11,12].”
BackgroundPRISM: A Planned Risk Information Seeking Model
Kahlor, L. (2010) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410231003775172 · Cited by 531
“Indeed, Lambert and Loiselle's (2007 ) qualitative analysis of the literature revealed 100 articles and five books—most of which were published since the mid 1990s.”
BackgroundInfluentialHealth Literacy and Use and Trust in Health Information.
Chen, X., Hay, J. L., Waters, E. A., Kiviniemi, M. T., Biddle, C., Schofield, E., Li, Y., Kaphingst, K., & Orom, H. (2018) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2018.1511658 · Cited by 548
“Health information also helps patients understand their diagnosis, decide on treatments, predict their prognosis (Brashers et al., 2002), and cope with illness (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundXiao, N., Sharman, R., Rao, H., & Upadhyaya, S. (2012) · Decision Support Systems · doi:10.1016/j.dss.2012.10.047 · Cited by 350
Li, Y., Wang, X., Lin, X., & Hajli, M. (2016) · Technological Forecasting and Social Change · doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2016.07.021 · Cited by 242
“The information and knowledge that used to be exclusive to health care providers has now become available to all social media users (Ker et al., 2014; Lambert and Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundHou, J., & Shim, M. (2010) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2010.522691 · Cited by 228
“In their review of literature from 1982 to 2006 on health information-seeking behavior, Lambert and Loiselle ( 2007 ) identified primary antecedents of health information-seeking behavior, including an information need and other personal and situational factors.”
BackgroundHealth Information Seeking, Receipt, and Use in Diabetes Self-Management
Longo, D. R., Schubert, S., Wright, B. A., LeMaster, J., Williams, C. D., & Clore, J. N. (2010) · The Annals of Family Medicine · doi:10.1370/afm.1115 · Cited by 220
Health information seeking behaviour: A concept analysis
Zimmerman, M. S., & Shaw, G. (2020) · Health Information & Libraries Journal · doi:10.1111/hir.12287 · Cited by 198
Health Information–Seeking Behaviors, Health Indicators, and Health Risks
Weaver, J. B., Mays, D. M., Weaver, S. S., Hopkins, G. L., Eroğlu, D., & Bernhardt, J. M. (2010) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2009.180521 · Cited by 214
Gaps in knowledge: Tracking and explaining gender differences in health information seeking
Manierre, M. J. (2015) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.01.028 · Cited by 197
Nölke, L., Mensing, M., Krämer, A., & Hornberg, C. (2015) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1423-0 · Cited by 192
How, When and Why People Seek Health Information Online: Qualitative Study in Hong Kong
Chu, J. T., Wang, M. P., Shen, C., Viswanath, K., Lam, T. H., & Chan, S. S. C. (2017) · Interactive Journal of Medical Research · doi:10.2196/ijmr.7000 · Cited by 181
“Health information seeking relates to the ways in which individuals obtain information, including information about their health, health promotion activities, risks to one’s health, and illness [4].”
BackgroundTan, A. S. L., Lee, C., & Chae, J. (2015) · Journal of Communication · doi:10.1111/jcom.12163 · Cited by 192
Online Health Information Seeking in the Context of the Medical Consultation in Switzerland
Caiata-Zufferey, M., Abraham, A., Sommerhalder, K., & Schulz, P. J. (2010) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732310368404 · Cited by 171
Richardson, A. K., Allen, J. A., Xiao, H., & Vallone, D. (2012) · Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved · doi:10.1353/hpu.2012.0181 · Cited by 168
Gozzi, N., Tizzani, M., Starnini, M., Ciulla, F., Paolotti, D., Panisson, A., & Perra, N. (2020) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/21597 · Cited by 170
“Health information–seeking behavior is the act by which individuals retrieve and acquire new knowledge about a specific topic related to health [61,62]; it is likely to be triggered on a population scale by a disrupting event, such as the threat of a previously unknown disease [63,64].”
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Murnane, E. L., Cosley, D., Chang, P., Guha, S., Frank, E., Gay, G., & Matthews, M. (2016) · Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association · doi:10.1093/jamia/ocv165 · Cited by 134
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“Introduction Researchers have become increasingly interested in the dynamics of health information seeking and the sources of relevant health information [1-11].”
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“Several studies corroborated the findings concerning gender, preferences for providers and family or friends as information sources, tie strength, and various information needs reported [36, 46, 48, 49, 53, 54, 73–76].”
ResultInternet Skills Performance Tests: Are People Ready for eHealth?
van Deursen, A. J. A. M., & van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2011) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.1581 · Cited by 163
“In health-related literature, a popular concept is health information–seeking behavior [25].”
BackgroundInquiring Minds Acquiring Wellness: Uses of Online and Offline Sources for Health Information
Dobransky, K. M., & Hargittai, E. (2011) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2011.585451 · Cited by 142
“Consistent with prior research (see Lambert & Loiselle, 2007; Rice, 2006), women are more likely to look for treatment information from all sources except online discussions.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialHu, X., Bell, R. A., Kravitz, R. L., & Orrange, S. E. (2012) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2011.650828 · Cited by 134
“Demographic and health predictors of online information seeking are well studied (Fox, 2008; Hardiker & Grant, 2010, 2011; Lambert & Loiselle, 2007; Rice, 2006).”
BackgroundSocial Determinants of Health Information Seeking among Chinese Adults in Hong Kong
Wang, M. P., Viswanath, K., Lam, T. H., Wang, X., & Chan, S. S. C. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0073049 · Cited by 134
“The finding that older people in our study were more likely to seek health information from newspapers/magazines and radio was in contrast to the inverse associations reported in Western studies [9,27].”
ResultPredictors of online health information seeking behavior: Changes between 2002 and 2012
Li, J., Theng, Y., & Foo, S. S.-B. (2015) · Health Informatics Journal · doi:10.1177/1460458215595851 · Cited by 121
Quinn, S., Bond, R., & Nugent, C. (2016) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.032 · Cited by 114
Exploring ward nurses' perceptions of continuing education in clinical settings
Govranos, M., & Newton, J. (2013) · Nurse Education Today · doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2013.07.003 · Cited by 119
Defining information need in health - assimilating complex theories derived from information science
Ormandy, P. (2010) · Health Expectations · doi:10.1111/j.1369-7625.2010.00598.x · Cited by 117
Niu, Z., Willoughby, J., & Zhou, R. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/19134 · Cited by 111
“Additionally, a variety of health information and knowledge that used to be exclusive to health care providers are now available to health information seekers on social media [10].”
BackgroundHarrison, M., Ryan, T., Gardiner, C., & Jones, A. (2016) · Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/10749357.2016.1196908 · Cited by 111
McKinley, C. J., & Wright, P. J. (2014) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.04.023 · Cited by 109
Jonikas, J. A., Grey, D. D., Copeland, M. E., Razzano, L. A., Hamilton, M. M., Floyd, C. B., Hudson, W. B., & Cook, J. Α. (2011) · Community Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10597-011-9475-9 · Cited by 108
Yardley, L., Morrison, L. G., Andreou, P., Joseph, J., & Little, P. (2010) · BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · doi:10.1186/1472-6947-10-52 · Cited by 101
“In particular, recent advances in technology make it possible to provide more detailed information which is automatically ‘tailored’ to the specific needs of the individual, in order to increase perceived personal relevance and avoid information overload [ 34 ].”
BackgroundInfluentialHealth literacy programs for older adults: a systematic literature review
Manafò, E., & Wong, S. (2012) · Health Education Research · doi:10.1093/her/cys067 · Cited by 114
“Increased availability and accessibility of information and a greater emphasis on self-management and care [9] have raised concern about the health literacy skills of individuals [10] and now more specifically, eHealth literacy skills [11].”
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Exploring Older Adults' Health Information Seeking Behaviors
Manafò, E., & Wong, S. S.-L. (2011) · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2011.05.018 · Cited by 102
“Increased availability and accessibility of information, a focus on selfmanagement and care, and a refocus on disease prevention are some considerations that account for the growing attention in this area.(1) Health information-seeking behavior is described as ‘‘verbal or nonverbal behaviour used to obtain, clarify or…”
BackgroundCao, W., Zhang, X., Xu, K., & Wang, Y. (2016) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2015.1045236 · Cited by 101
“In their review of literature, Lambert and Loiselle (2007) compiled a list of definitions of health information-seeking behavior.”
BackgroundA Review of models and theories of health information seeking behavior
Zare‐Farashbandi, F., & Lalazaryan, A. (2014) · International Journal of Health System and Disaster Management · doi:10.4103/2347-9019.144371 · Cited by 100
Feinberg, I. Z., Frijters, J. C., Johnson‐Lawrence, V., Greenberg, D., Nightingale, E. O., & Moodie, C. (2016) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148751 · Cited by 110
“Knowing how adults with differing education levels engage in HISB is important because those who actively seek health information from a variety of sources are likely to use that information and be more cognitively and psycho-socially prepared to engage in medical decision-making and with the medical system [64,65].”
BackgroundA rapid review of consumer health information needs and preferences
Ramsey, I., Corsini, N., Peters, M. D. J., & Eckert, M. C. (2017) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2017.04.005 · Cited by 90
Li, C., Zhang, E., & Han, J. (2020) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106581 · Cited by 91
Skarpa, P. E., & Garoufallou, E. (2021) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2021.104465 · Cited by 94
A United States-China Comparison of Risk Information–Seeking Intentions
Yang, Z. J., Kahlor, L., & Li, H. (2014) · Communication Research · doi:10.1177/0093650213479795 · Cited by 90
“In the last two decades, there has been a steady stream of research on information seeking in mass communication as well as interpersonal communication, information and library science, health psychology and behavior, and beyond (Case, 2002; Lambert & Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundFactors Associated with Health Information-Seeking in Low-Income Pregnant Women
Shieh, C., Broome, M. E., & Stump, T. E. (2010) · Women & Health · doi:10.1080/03630242.2010.506152 · Cited by 87
“Health information-seeking is described by Lambert and Loiselle (2007) as “the type and amount of health-related information sought, the specific actions implemented to obtain the information, and the sources individuals use” (p.”
BackgroundLambert, S., Loiselle, C., & Macdonald, M. (2009) · Cancer Nursing · doi:10.1097/01.ncc.0000343372.24517.bd · Cited by 86
“I'm the One Taking It”: Adolescent Participation in Chronic Disease Treatment Decisions
Lipstein, E. A., Muething, K. A., Dodds, C. M., & Britto, M. T. (2013) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.02.004 · Cited by 84
Yardi, S., Caldwell, P. H. Y., Barnes, E. H., & Scott, K. M. (2018) · Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health · doi:10.1111/jpc.14068 · Cited by 88
Building community resilience on social media to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic
Xie, L., Pinto, J., & Zhong, B. (2022) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2022.107294 · Cited by 92
Liu, P. L., & Jiang, S. (2019) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2019.1673948 · Cited by 82
Where people look for online health information
LaValley, S. A., Kiviniemi, M. T., & Gage‐Bouchard, E. A. (2016) · Health Information & Libraries Journal · doi:10.1111/hir.12143 · Cited by 81
Lee, S. Y., & Hawkins, R. P. (2016) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2015.1018701 · Cited by 81
“For instance, patients may be overwhelmed by the information obtained and face increased anxiety (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundBiting the bullet: When self-efficacy mediates the stressful effects of COVID-19 beliefs
Meyer, N., Niemand, T., Dávila, A., & Kraus, S. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0263022 · Cited by 84
“For example, Lambert and Loiselle [28] state that seeking information, specifically regarding health issues, may act as a coping strategy towards promoting better health.”
Ellis, J., Mullan, J., Worsley, A. F., & Pai, N. B. (2012) · International Journal of Family Medicine · doi:10.1155/2012/397039 · Cited by 80
“Health information-seeking behaviour has been identified as a key component of patient behaviour which assists in the psychosocial adjustment to illness [1].”
BackgroundHealth Literacy, Health Disparities, and Sources of Health Information in U.S. Older Adults
Cutilli, C. C., Simko, L. C., Colbert, A. M., & Bennett, I. M. (2018) · Orthopaedic Nursing · doi:10.1097/nor.0000000000000418 · Cited by 80
Health information technology use among older adults in the United States, 2009–2018
Hung, L.-Y., Lyons, J. G., & Wu, C.-H. (2020) · Current Medical Research and Opinion · doi:10.1080/03007995.2020.1734782 · Cited by 73
Yi, Y. J., Stvilia, B., & Mon, L. M. (2011) · Library & Information Science Research · doi:10.1016/j.lisr.2011.06.001 · Cited by 81
“According to Lambert and Loiselle (2007), consumer health information-seeking is understood within the contexts of “(a) coping with a health-threatening situation, (b) participation and involvement in medical decision-making, and (c) behavior change and preventive behavior” (p. 1009).”
BackgroundSillence, E., Blythe, J. M., Briggs, P., & Moss, M. (2019) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/11125 · Cited by 72
“Our model confirms that placing trust in health websites is important in helping users to cope with their health issues, and this is in line with previous research indicating that seeking health information is in itself an important coping mechanism in enhancing adjustment to illness and in the promotion of health-rel…”
ResultFareed, N., Swoboda, C. M., Jonnalagadda, P., Walker, D. M., & Huerta, T. R. (2020) · American Journal of Health Promotion · doi:10.1177/0890117120934609 · Cited by 78
“Health information seeking is important for individuals to cope with a health-threatening situation, to participate in medical decision-making, and to enact discretionary preventative behaviors.(1) Evidence suggests that health information exposure enhances people’s awareness and knowledge of health risks, potentially…”
BackgroundHassan, S., & Masoud, O. (2021) · Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1007/s10389-020-01243-w · Cited by 78
Reducing the stigma associated with seeking psychotherapy through self-affirmation.
Lannin, D. G., Guyll, M., Vogel, D. L., & Madon, S. (2013) · Journal of Counseling Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0033789 · Cited by 86
Bianchi, C. M., Huneau, J., Goff, G. L., Verger, E. O., Mariotti, F., & Gurviez, P. (2016) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-016-1078-6 · Cited by 81
“The acquisition of information is a crucial step when adopting healthier behaviour [7].”
BackgroundSeeking Health Information on Social Media
Li, Y., & Wang, X. (2017) · Journal of Organizational and End User Computing · doi:10.4018/joeuc.2018010101 · Cited by 79
Information Avoidance: Past Perspectives and Future Directions
Foust, J. L., & Taber, J. M. (2023) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/17456916231197668 · Cited by 85
“…established that information seeking helps people to understand a (health) threat and to work through their experiences to manage the stressors (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007), but less is known about how people may strategically use information avoidance as an adaptive means to cope with…”
InfluentialDeLorme, D. E., Huh, J., & Reid, L. N. (2011) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2011.561914 · Cited by 74
Lambert, S., Loiselle, C., & Macdonald, M. (2009) · Cancer Nursing · doi:10.1097/01.ncc.0000343373.01646.91 · Cited by 74
“To guide selective coding, we used the 3-step approach to concept development by Morse(32): (1) identifying the attributes, (2) verifying the attributes, and (3) comparing components to elicit variation in the concept.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialReadability of websites containing information on dental implants
Jayaratne, Y. S. N., Anderson, N. K., & Zwahlen, R. A. (2013) · Clinical Oral Implants Research · doi:10.1111/clr.12285 · Cited by 71
Profiling Characteristics of Internet Medical Information Users
Weaver, J. B., Mays, D. M., Lindner, G., lu, D. E., Fridinger, F., & Bernhardt, J. M. (2009) · Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association · doi:10.1197/jamia.m3150 · Cited by 70
“Past studies suggest that individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions and those with lower perceived health status are more likely to seek health information online.(10,21,29,30,32,34) The results of this study show that respondents who use health care services, whether for themselves or for a household member…”
BackgroundCunningham, C. E., Walker, J. R., Eastwood, J. D., Westra, H. A., Rimas, H. L., Chen, Y., Marcus, M., Swinson, R. P., Bracken, K., & The Mobilizing Minds Research Group (2013) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2013.811324 · Cited by 79
“Research suggests considerable variation in the depth, complexity, and degree of effort individuals are willing to devote to the acquisition of health (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007) and mental health information (Cunningham et al., 2008).”
BackgroundInfluentialDeterminants of Health Information-Seeking Behavior: Implications for Post-Treatment Cancer Patients
Jung, M. (2014) · Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention · doi:10.7314/apjcp.2014.15.16.6499 · Cited by 67
“Third, as age increases, HISB generally decreases (Duggan and Bates, 2008; Rutten et al., 2006; Lambert and Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundSaab, M. M., Reidy, M., Hegarty, J. M., O’Mahony, M., Murphy, M. F., von Wagner, C., & Drummond, F. J. (2017) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/pon.4506 · Cited by 73
“1008).(9) Health‐seeking can be under-”
Lee, H. O., & Kim, S. Y. (2014) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2014.927035 · Cited by 65
“The simplified linear representation of information-seeking processes without feedback loops has often been criticized (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundMollen, S., Engelen, S., Kessels, L. T. E., & van den Putte, B. (2016) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2016.1247484 · Cited by 70
“In addition, information-seeking behavior was assessed, as this is a known determinant of preventive behaviors (for a review, see Lambert & Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundHubner, A. Y., & Hovick, S. R. A. (2020) · Risk Analysis · doi:10.1111/risa.13456 · Cited by 65
“Individuals who are uncertain about a health risk may initiate an information search to help cope with a potential threat (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundYang, Q., Chen, Y., & Muhamad, J. W. (2016) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2016.1214220 · Cited by 64
“Trust in health information sources has been identified as one of the most important antecedents of HISBs (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundGhweeba, M., Lindenmeyer, A., Shishi, S., Kofi, M. A., Waheed, A., & Amer, S. A. A. M. (2017) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.6855 · Cited by 64
“Online health information (OHI) seekers are defined as “Internet users who search online for information on health topics, whether they are acting as consumers, caregivers or patients aiming to take more control of their health” [7].”
Impact of Smartphones on Quality of Life: A Health Information Behavior Perspective
Ghahramani, F., & Wang, J. (2019) · Information Systems Frontiers · doi:10.1007/s10796-019-09931-z · Cited by 67
Predictors of Health Information–Seeking Behavior: Systematic Literature Review and Network Analysis
Mirzaei, A., Aslani, P., Luca, E., & Schneider, C. R. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/21680 · Cited by 68
“Health information seeking has been defined as “the ways in which individuals obtain information, including information about their health, health promotion activities, risks to one’s health, and illness” [1].”
InfluentialAldoory, L. (2016) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2015.1114065 · Cited by 73
“Health information–seeking behavior (HISB) has a longstanding history in health communication and has become a well-documented factor in coping with health-threatening situations and participating in medical decision-making, both outcomes of health literacy (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundBasnyat, I., Nekmat, E., Jiang, S., & Lin, J. (2018) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2018.1493058 · Cited by 62
“Health information seeking is the purposeful acquisition of information from selected information carriers to fill a gap in specific health information needs (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundMethodJiao, W., Chang, A., Ho, M. K. W., Lu, Q., Liu, M. T., & Schulz, P. J. (2023) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/47595 · Cited by 99
“HISB is the term used to describe looking for information about health, dangers to it, illnesses, and ways to safeguard it [16,17].”
Exploring Online Health Information–Seeking Behavior Among Young Adults: Scoping Review
Stifjell, K., Sandanger, T. M., & Wien, C. N. (2025) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/70379 · Cited by 82
“Health information seeking [7] outlines the methods and underlying motivations to actively obtain and use health-related information from various sources [8,9].”
Information Needs, Seeking Behaviors, and Support Among Low-Income Expectant Women
Song, H., Cramer, E., McRoy, S., & May, A. R. (2013) · Women & Health · doi:10.1080/03630242.2013.831019 · Cited by 60
Bell, A. V. (2014) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732314524637 · Cited by 60
“…encompasses many sources of information: formal sources (e.g., health care providers), informal sources (e.g., friends and family), and commercial and media sources (e.g., Internet and television; Kakai, Maskarinec, Shumay, Tatsumura, & Tasaki, 2003; Lambert & Loiselle, 2007; Worsley, 1989).”
BackgroundWu, T., Deng, Z., Zhang, D. “., Buchanan, P. R., Zha, D., & Wang, R. (2018) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2018.04.009 · Cited by 60
Kennedy, E., & Thibeault, S. L. (2020) · American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology · doi:10.1044/2020_ajslp-19-00188 · Cited by 60
Influencing Factors of Online Health Information Seeking in Selected European Countries
Link, E., Baumann, E., Linn, A. J., Fahr, A., Schulz, P. J., & Paier-Abuzahra, M. (2021) · European Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.47368/ejhc.2021.002 · Cited by 59
“…et al., 1999) or the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking (CMIS; Johnson & Meischke, 1993) as well as concept analysis and overview articles (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007; Wang et al., 2020; Zimmerman & Shaw, 2020), sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors are often considered influences on…”
BackgroundMethodLink, E., Baumann, E., & Klimmt, C. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/25963 · Cited by 59
“It is also suitable to seek sensitive information in contexts where anonymity is of high relevance [33].”
InfluentialLink, E., & Baumann, E. (2020) · Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz · doi:10.1007/s00103-020-03144-5 · Cited by 60
Leas, E. C., Nobles, A. L., Caputi, T. L., Dredze, M. H., Zhu, S., Cohen, J. E., & Ayers, J. W. (2020) · Tobacco Control · doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-055755 · Cited by 59
Human information behavior during the Covid-19 health crisis. A literature review
Montesi, M. (2021) · Library & Information Science Research · doi:10.1016/j.lisr.2021.101122 · Cited by 58
Understanding the sustained use of online health communities from a self‐determination perspective
Zhang, Y. (2015) · Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology · doi:10.1002/asi.23560 · Cited by 57
“…the extent of people’s information-seeking efforts, such as the sources utilized, the frequency of searching, the types of information sought, the formats preferred, and the amount of information accessed (Anker, Reinhart, & Feeley, 2011; Johnson & Case, 2012; Lambert & Loiselle, 2007; Lenz, 1984).”
BackgroundOu, M., & Ho, S. S. (2021) · Communication Research · doi:10.1177/00936502211043024 · Cited by 56
“Though the definition varies across study purposes and contexts, HIS is generally defined as purposefully searching for or asking pre-planned questions regarding health, using either online or offline sources (e.g., Lambert & Loiselle, 2007; Warner & Procaccino, 2004).”
BackgroundNovi, C. D., Kovačič, M., & Orso, C. E. (2024) · Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization · doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2024.02.032 · Cited by 55
Loiselle, C. G., Edgar, L., Batist, G., Lu, J., & Lauzier, S. (2009) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2009.09.026 · Cited by 57
McKinley, C. J., & Ruppel, E. K. (2014) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2014.01.038 · Cited by 62
“…seeking are abundant, including opportunities for interaction, social support, and tailored search options, while simultaneously maintaining one’s relative personal anonymity (Barker, 2008; Berger et al., 2005; Cline & Haynes, 2001; Drentea & Moren-Cross, 2005; Lambert & Loiselle, 2007).”
BackgroundHovick, S. R. A. (2013) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2013.778369 · Cited by 61
“Although information seeking is often viewed as a coping mechanism to reduce negative reactions to uncertainty (Lambert & Loiselle, 2007), receiving health information may also increase worry or concern (e.g., previously unknown patterns of disease or individual diagnoses within the family).”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Lambert, S. D., & Loiselle, C. G.
- Affiliations
- McGill University (CA)
- Venue
- Qualitative Health Research
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2007-10
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1006-1019
- ISSN
- 1049-7323 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7557
- OpenAlex
- W2161788636
- Cited by
- 894
- References
- 113
- Citations by year
- 2026: 53 · 2025: 60 · 2024: 67 · 2023: 83 · 2022: 77 · 2021: 86 · 2020: 76 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 38 · 2017: 39 · 2016: 75 · 2015: 34 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 39 · 2012: 34
- FWCI
- 26.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Qualitative Health Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Wellbeing Research
- Keywords
- health information seeking, conceptual analysis, health information, coping strategies, psychosocial adjustment to illness, health promotion, information interventions
- MeSH terms
- Books, Humans, Information Services, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Periodicals as Topic, United States, Bibliometrics, Consumer Health Information
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