TY  - JOUR
T1  - Health Information Seeking Behavior and its Determinants on Social Media: The Case of American Adults
TT  - Sosyal Medyada Sağlık Bilgisi Arama Davranışı ve Belirleyicileri: Amerikalı Yetişkinler Örneği
AU  - Çapar, Haşim
PY  - 2025
DA  - August
Y2  - 2025
DO  - 10.46413/boneyusbad.1618408
JF  - Bandırma Onyedi Eylül Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri ve Araştırmaları Dergisi
PB  - Bandırma Onyedi Eylül Üniversitesi
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 2687-2145
SP  - 572
EP  - 586
VL  - 7
IS  - 2
LA  - en
AB  - Aim: One of the active areas of use of social media is support, advice and information search on health-related issues. The aim of this study is to reveal health-seeking behavior via social media. Material and Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with 7,000 data collected by the Health Sciences National Trends Survey (HINTS) in the USA between March 7 and November 8, 2022 complies with the STROBE guideline. T-test and ANOVA analysis was conducted. Jamovi was used for analysis.Results: The variables of gender, sending a message to a healthcare provider, looking at online test results, and volunteering to share health data with healthcare providers were not statistically significant, but the variables such as searching for health information online, making an appointment online, owning a wearable health device, and volunteering to share health data with family and friends, sharing health data with physicians through electronic devices, income, and education are statistically significant.Conclusion: Social media can be easily accessed by everyone. Therefore, it is extremely convenient and easily accessible in terms of health information search behavior. However, despite this advantage, it also needs to be constantly monitored in terms of information pollution and false and misleading information.
KW  - Health informatics
KW  - Health information needs
KW  - Health information seeking behavior
KW  - Health management
KW  - Social media
N2  - Amaç: Sosyal medyanın aktif kullanım alanlarından biri sağlıkla ilgili konularda destek, tavsiye ve bilgi aramadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı sosyal medya aracılığıyla sağlık arama davranışını ortaya çıkarmaktır.Materyal ve Method: Bu kesitsel çalışma, Ulusal Kanser Enstitüsü (NCI) tarafından 7 Mart- 8 Kasım 2022 tarihleri arasında ABD'de Sağlık Bilimleri Ulusal Eğilimler Anketi (HINTS) tarafından toplanan 7.000 veri ile STROBE kılavuzuna uygun olarak yürütülmüştür. T-testi ve ANOVA analizi yapılmıştır. Analizler için Jamovi kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Cinsiyet, sağlık hizmeti sağlayıcısına mesaj gönderme, çevrimiçi test sonuçlarına bakma ve sağlık verilerini sağlık hizmeti sağlayıcılarıyla paylaşmaya gönüllü olma değişkenleri istatistiksel olarak anlamlı değildi, ancak çevrimiçi sağlık bilgisi arama, çevrimiçi randevu alma, giyilebilir bir sağlık cihazına sahip olma ve sağlık verilerini aile ve arkadaşlarla paylaşmaya gönüllü olma, elektronik cihazlar aracılığıyla sağlık verilerini doktorlarla paylaşma, gelir ve eğitim gibi değişkenler istatistiksel olarak anlamlıydı.Sonuç: Sosyal medya herkes tarafından kolayca erişilebilir. Bu nedenle sağlık bilgisi arama davranışı açısından son derece kullanışlı ve kolay erişilebilirdir. Ancak bu avantajına rağmen bilgi kirliliği, yanlış ve yanıltıcı bilgiler açısından sürekli olarak izlenmesi gerekir.
CR  - Abuduxike, G., Aşut, Ö., Vaizoğlu, S. A., & Cali, S. (2019). Health-Seeking Behaviors and its Determinants: A Facility-Based Cross-Sectional Study in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 9(6), 240–249. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2019.106
CR  - Alkhatlan, H. M., Rahman, K. F., & Aljazzaf, B. H. (2018). Factors affecting seeking health-related information through the internet among patients in Kuwait. Alexandria Journal of Medicine, 54(4), 331–336. doi: 10.1016/j.ajme.2017.05.008
CR  - AlMuammar, S. A., Noorsaeed, A. S., Alafif, R. A., Kamal, Y. F., & Daghistani, G. M. (2021). The Use of Internet and Social Media for Health Information and Its Consequences Among the Population in Saudi Arabia. Cureus, 13(9), e18338. doi: 10.7759/cureus.18338
CR  - Amin, K., & Mohd Nazan, A. I. N. (2022). Cognitive Determinants of Health Information Seeking Behavior through Social Media Platforms among Malaysian Adults. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 18, 113–118. doi: 10.47836//mjmhs18.4.16
CR  - Appel, G., Grewal, L., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2020). The future of social media in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 79–95. doi: 10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1
CR  - Banerjee, S., Hemphill, T., & Longstreet, P. (2017). Wearable devices and healthcare: Data sharing and privacy. The Information Society, 34, 1–9. doi: 10.1080/01972243.2017.1391912
CR  - Baumann, E., Czerwinski, F., & Reifegerste, D. (2017). Gender-Specific Determinants and Patterns of Online Health Information Seeking: Results From a Representative German Health Survey. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(4), e92. doi: 10.2196/jmir.6668
CR  - Bleier, A., Fossen, B. L., & Shapira, M. (2024). On the role of social media platforms in the creator economy. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 41(3), 411–426. doi: 10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.06.006
CR  - Boyce, L., Harun, A., Prybutok, G., & Prybutok, V. R. (2024). The Role of Technology in Online Health Communities: A Study of Information-Seeking Behavior. Healthcare, 12(3), Article 3. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12030336
CR  - Çağatay, A., Kibris, S., & Kızılkaya, S. (2023). Online Sağlık Arama Davranışı: Karşılaştırmalı Bir ÇalışmaOnline Health Search Behavior: A Comparative Study. Bandırma Onyedi Eylül Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri ve Araştırmaları Dergisi, 5. doi: 10.46413/boneyusbad.1263753
CR  - Can, A., Sönmez, E., Özer, F., Ayva, G., Bacı, H., Kaya, H., Uyan, O., Ulusoy, G., Öğütçü, N., & Aslan, D. (2014). Sağlık arama davranışı olarak internet kullanımını inceleyen bir araştırma. Cumhuriyet Medical Journal, 36(4), Article 4. doi: 10.7197/cmj.v36i4.5000066422
CR  - Chen, J., & Wang, Y. (2021). Social Media Use for Health Purposes: Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(5), e17917. doi: 10.2196/17917
CR  - Covolo, L., Guana, M., Bonaccorsi, G., Brunelli, L., Castaldi, S., De Donno, A., Mereu, A., Verani, M., & Gelatti, U. (2022). Exploring the Online Health Information-Seeking Behavior in a Sample of Italian Women: The “SEI 
Donna” Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 4745. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19084745
CR  - De Choudhury, M., Jhaver, S., Sugar, B., & Weber, I. (2016). Social Media Participation in an Activist Movement for Racial Equality. Proceedings of the ... International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media. International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media, 2016, 92–101. Erişim tarihi: 13.03.2025, 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5565729/
CR  - Engebretsen, M. (2024). The role, impact, and responsibilities of health experts on social media. A focus group study with future healthcare workers. Frontiers in Communication, 9. doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2024.1296296
CR  - Gallagher, S., & Tedstone, D. (2009). Searching for health information online: Characteristics of online health seekers. Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 2, 99–106. doi: 10.1111/j.1756-5391.2009.01021.x
CR  - Gallardo, M. O., & Ebardo, R. (2024). Online Health Information Seeking in Social Media (pp. 168–179). doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-53731-8_14
CR  - Games, P. A., & Howell, J. F. (1976). Pairwise multiple comparison procedures with unequal N’s and/or variances: A Monte Carlo study. Journal of Educational Statistics, 1(2), 113–125. doi: 10.2307/1164979
CR  - Gazi, Md. A., Rahaman, M. A., Rabbi, Md. F., Masum, M., Nabi, Md. N., & Senathirajah, Ma. (2024). The Role of 
Social Media in Enhancing Communication among Individuals: Prospects and Problems. Environment and Social Psychology, 9. doi: 10.59429/esp.v9i11.2979
CR  - Hagg, E., Dahinten, V. S., & Currie, L. (2018). The emerging use of social media for health-related purposes in low and middle-income countries: A scoping review. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 115. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2018.04.010
CR  - Hallyburton, A., & Evarts, L. (2014). Gender and Online Health Information Seeking: A Five Survey Meta-Analysis. Journal of Consumer Health On the Internet, 18, 128–142. doi: 10.1080/15398285.2014.902268
CR  - Jamil, K., Dunnan, L., Gul, R. F., Shehzad, M. U., Gillani, S. H. M., & Awan, F. H. (2022). Role of Social Media Marketing Activities in Influencing Customer Intentions: A Perspective of a New Emerging Era. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.808525
CR  - Jarrar, Y., Awobamise, A. O., & Aderibigbe, A. A. (2020). Effectiveness of Influencer Marketing vs Social Media Sponsored Advertising. Utopía y Praxis Latinoamericana, 25(Esp.12), 40–54. doi:10.5281/zenodo.4280084
CR  - Jeyaraman, M., Ramasubramanian, S., Kumar, S., Jeyaraman, N., Selvaraj, P., Nallakumarasamy, A., Bondili, S. K., & Yadav, S. (2023). Multifaceted Role of Social Media in Healthcare: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Need for Quality Control. Cureus, 15(5), e39111. doi: 10.7759/cureus.39111
CR  - Jia, X., Pang, Y., & Liu, L. S. (2021). Online Health Information Seeking Behavior: A Systematic Review. Healthcare, 9(12), 1740. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9121740
CR  - Kanchan, S., & Gaidhane, A. (2023). Social Media Role and Its Impact on Public Health: A Narrative Review. Cureus, 15(1), e33737. doi: 10.7759/cureus.33737
CR  - Kington, R. S., Arnesen, S., Chou, W.-Y. S., Curry, S. J., Lazer, D., & Villarruel,  and A. M. (2021). Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information in Social Media: Principles and Attributes. NAM Perspectives. doi: 10.31478/202107a
CR  - Lim, M. S. C., Molenaar, A., Brennan, L., Reid, M., & McCaffrey, T. (2022). Young Adults’ Use of Different Social Media Platforms for Health Information: Insights From Web-Based Conversations. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(1), e23656. doi: 10.2196/23656
CR  - Lin, Y. (2022). Social media for collaborative planning: A typology of support functions and challenges. Cities, 125, 103641. doi: 10.1016/j.cities.2022.103641
CR  - Link, E., Baumann, E., Linn, A., Fahr, A., Schulz, P. J., & Abuzahra, M. E. (2021). Influencing Factors of Online Health 
Information Seeking in Selected European Countries: Analysis of Country Specifics. European Journal of Health Communication, 2(1), Article 1. doi: 10.47368/ejhc.2021.002
CR  - Liu, L., Pang, Y., & Jia, X. (2022). Online Health Information Seeking Behavior: A Systematic Review. Healthcare, 9. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9121740
CR  - Mackian, S. (2002). A Review of Health Seeking Behaviour: Problems and Prospects. Health Systems Development. University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
CR  - National Center for Health Statistics. (2023). Health Information National Trends Survey 6 (HINTS 6) (p. 104). National Center for Health Statistics. Erişim tarihi: 13.03.2025,  
https://hints.cancer.gov/docs/methodologyreports/HINTS_6_MethodologyReport.pdf
CR  - National Center for Health Statistics. (2025). Published Articles Using HINTS Data [Kamu]. Erişim tarihi: 13.03.2025, https://hints.cancer.gov/publications-reports/hints-publications.aspx#YR_2022
CR  - Ng, E., Abu Seman, R. A., & Tee, J. (2018). Factors Influencing Health Information Seeking Behaviour Among Young Adults in UCSI University. Jurnal Pengajian Media Malaysia, 20, 69–86. doi: 10.22452/jpmm.vol20no2.6
CR  - Oladapo, Y. O., Adeoye, M., Tomomowo-Ayodele, S., & Adegun, I. (2021). Consumers’ Health Informatıon 
Seekıng Behavıour On Socıal Medıa: A Case Study Of Lautech Teachıng Hospıtal Lıbrary And Lautech College Of Health Scıences Medıcal Lıbrary In Osogbo, Osun State, Nıgerıa. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-Journal). Erişim tarihi: 13.03.2025, https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/5792
CR  - Özdemir, D., & Arpacıoğlu, S. (2020). Sosyal Medya Kullanımı, Sağlık Algısı ve Sağlık Arama Davranışının Koronavirüs Korkusu Üzerine Etkisi. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar, 12, 364–381. doi: 10.18863/pgy.803145
CR  - Patrick, M., Venkatesh, R. D., & Stukus, D. R. (2022). Social media and its impact on health care. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, 128(2), 139–145. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2021.09.014
CR  - R Core Team. (2022). R: A Language and environment for statistical computing. (Version 4.1.
CR  - Rising, C. J., Gaysynsky, A., Blake, K. D., Jensen, R. E., & Oh, A. (2021). Willingness to Share Data From Wearable Health and Activity Trackers: Analysis of the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey Data. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 9(12), e29190. doi: 10.2196/29190
CR  - Roy, R., & Jessica, M. (2023). Evolving Role of Social Media in Health Promotion. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.111967
CR  - Şahin, E., & Ayaz, F. (2021). Bir Sağlık Arama Davranışı Olarak Sosyal Medya Kullanımı: İzolasyon, Karantina ve Sosyal Mesafe Tedbirlerinde Facebook’ta Covid-19 İçerikli Sosyal Medya Paylaşımlarının Görünümü. Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences, 60, Article 60. Erişim tarihi: 13.03.2025, https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/connectist/issue/64177/862042
CR  - Sherman, L. E., Michikyan, M., & Greenfield, P. M. (2013). The effects of text, audio, video, and in-person communication on bonding between friends. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 7(2), Article 2. doi: 10.5817/CP2013-2-3
CR  - Silver, R. A., & Johnson, C. (2023). Health Information Seeking Behavior on Social Networking Sites and Self-Treatment: Pilot Survey Study. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 15, e51984. doi: 10.2196/51984
CR  - Starcevic, V. (2024). The Impact of Online Health Information Seeking on Patients, Clinicians, and Patient-Clinician Relationship. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 93(2), 80–84. doi: 10.1159/000538149
CR  - Tan, A., Gutierrez, D., Milam, E. C., Neimann, A. L., & Zampella, J. (2020). Patient health-seeking behavior on WeChat: Social media and dermatology. JAAD Case Reports, 6(2), 136–138. doi: 10.1016/j.jdcr.2019.11.015
CR  - The jamovi project. (2023). Jamovi (Version (Version 2.4) [Computer Software]) [English]. Erişim tarihi: 13.03.2025, https://www.jamovi.org
CR  - Thompson, A. E., Anisimowicz, Y., Miedema, B., Hogg, W., Wodchis, W. P., & Aubrey-Bassler, K. (2016). The influence of gender and other patient characteristics on health care-seeking behaviour: A QUALICOPC study. BMC Family Practice, 17(1), 38. doi: 10.1186/s12875-016-0440-0
CR  - Tong, V., Raynor, D., & Aslani, P. (2014). Gender differences in health and medicine information seeking behaviour- A review. Journal of the Malta College of Pharmacy Practice, 14–16.
CR  - Tubachi, P. (2018). Informatıon Seekıng Behavıor: An Overvıew. Erişim tarihi: 13.03.2025, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330521546_ınformatıon_seekıng_behavıor_an_overvıew
CR  - Usman, J. E., Childs, C., Rogerson, D., & Klonizakis, M. (2024). Online Health Information-Seeking Behaviour among People of African Descent in the United Kingdom: A Qualitative Study. Healthcare, 12(9), Article 9. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12090897
CR  - Ventola, C. L. (2014). Social Media and Health Care Professionals: Benefits, Risks, and Best Practices. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 39(7), 491–520. Erişim tarihi: 13.03.2025, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103576/
CR  - Wang, J., Xiu, G., & Shahzad, F. (2019). Exploring the Determinants of Online Health Information-Seeking Behavior Using a Meta-Analytic Approach. Sustainability, 11(17), Article 17. doi: 10.3390/su11174604
CR  - Wilding, D., Fray, P., Molitorisz, S., & McKewon, E. (2018). The Impact of Digital Platforms on         News and Journalistic Content (Kamu 00099F; p. 175). University of Technology Sydney. Erişim tarihi: 13.03.2025,	https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/ACCC+commissioned+report+-+The+impact+of+digital+platforms+on+news+and+journalistic+content,+Centre+for+Media+Transition+(2).pdf
CR  - Zhang, X., Chen, B., Li, G., & Dong, Y. (2022). Exploring the health information seeking behavior of social media users under the background of COVID-19 pandemic: An empirical study based on social cognitive theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1045914
CR  - Zhang, Y., Lee, E. W. J., & Teo, W.-P. (2023). Health-Seeking Behavior and Its Associated Technology Use: Interview Study Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults. JMIR Aging, 6(1), e43709. doi: 10.2196/43709
CR  - Zhao, Y., & Zhang, J. (2017). Consumer health information seeking in social media: A literature review. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 34(4), 268–283. doi: 10.1111/hir.12192
CR  - Zhou, L., Zhang, D., Yang, C., & Wang, Y. (2018). Harnessıng Socıal Medıa For Health Informatıon Management. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 27, 139. doi: 10.1016/j.elerap.2017.12.003
UR  - https://doi.org/10.46413/boneyusbad.1618408
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4514769
ER  -