The behavior of Chinese patients seeking help for erectile dysfunction （ED） has not been described in detail. This was an observational study conducted using an outpatient clinic-based questionnaire survey of ED pat...The behavior of Chinese patients seeking help for erectile dysfunction （ED） has not been described in detail. This was an observational study conducted using an outpatient clinic-based questionnaire survey of ED patients. From 2008 to 2009, physicians in 10 medical centers in China enrolled 2693 men （aged 25-70years） diagnosed with ED. The diagnosis was based on the International Index of Erectile Function 5 （IIEF-5） Questionnaire. The men completed a survey that asked questions about demographics, marital status, education level and household income as well as help-seeking behavior and awareness of medical therapy. The mean age of the 2693 men was 43.4 5.3years; 73% were 〈50-years-old and 49% had a high household income. The mean time between noticing ED and taking the first treatment was 4.3 2.1months. Of the 2577 respondents, physicians （54%） and the internet （52%） were most frequently consulted sources for information about ED. Young ED patients preferred using the internet and older patients preferred consulting with physicians. Western medicine （19%） and traditional Chinese medicine （16%） were most frequently used for treatment. Young ED patients preferred to first search the internet for information, whereas older patients first asked physicians for help. Side effects of treatment were the greatest concern, especially for older patients. Physicians and the internet are frequently consulted for ED information and therapy. On the basis of these survey results, we believe that physicians in China should enhance health education about ED, especially via the internet.展开更多
Purpose: We aim to create a model of consumer health information seeking behavior via social media, then to have a better understand of it. After that further efforts should be made to provide targeted recommendations...Purpose: We aim to create a model of consumer health information seeking behavior via social media, then to have a better understand of it. After that further efforts should be made to provide targeted recommendations for media managers to promote health communication via social media. Methods: Our custom model was derived from literature review, empirical research was tested by the use of questionnaire investigation, and then the collected data were analyzed by structural equation model tool SmartPLS. Finally, the custom model was modified according to the experimental results of SmartPLS. Results: A total of 239 (66.39%) of the respondents were female and 121 (33.61%) were male. The maximum of two stages of age were 18 - 29 (70.56%), 30 - 39 (13.89%). Wechat (60.28%), QQ Zone (55.22%), Micro-blog (48.89%) were the most commonly used social media to obtain health information. About 44.72% of respondents used social media to obtain health information multiple times a day. The whole numerical values of AVE, cronbach’s alpha, CR and square roots of AVE were above the benchmarks of themselves and showed great reliability and validity. All the 11 hypotheses had obvious statistical significance, the P-value of eight path coefficients exhibited <0.001, one path coefficient exhibited <0.01 and two path coefficients exhibited <0.05. Conclusions: A suitable model of consumer health information seeking behavior via social media was created and some inner relationships were found. Namely, gratification of health information and its platform had a positive effect on attitudes toward health information seeking behavior. Health information literacy and health status were proved to have a significant influence on attitudes toward health information seeking behavior, subject norms and perceived behavioral control respectively. In addition, attitudes toward the health information seeking behavior, subject norms and perceived behavioral control were proved to positively associate with health information seeking behavior intention.展开更多
Objective:To compare perceived ill-health and health seeking behavior between two communities affected by the large Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric project in central Lao People’s Democratic Republic(PDR).Methods: Two diff...Objective:To compare perceived ill-health and health seeking behavior between two communities affected by the large Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric project in central Lao People’s Democratic Republic(PDR).Methods: Two different affected areas;Nakai plateaubeing remote,sparcely populated and mountainous,and Xe Bang Fai lowland plains,more densely populated and comparatively affluent were included.Data were obtained from two cross-sectional household-based health and socio-economic surveys.Results:We found pronounced differences in the frequency of self-reported fever,cough,headache and myalgia according to location.On the Nakai plateau,45.1%of the individuals with ill-health report(recall period;2 weeks) went to a local health volunteer compared to only 7.2%in the Xe Bang Fai area(P 【 0.001 ).In Nakai,there were disproportionately more illiterates seeking help from local health volunteers when compared to those who attended at least primary schooling(49.2%versus 17.5%,P 【0.01 ).Self-medication with antimalarials was more common in Xe Bang Fai than on Nakai(32.3%versus 7.0%,P 【 0.001).The mean amount of money spent per health consultation was US $ 1.7 in Nakai and US $ 7.2 in Xe Bang Fai.Conclusion:The observed differences in self-reported ill-health and health seeking behavior among these two Lao communities need to be considered when implementing setting-specific mitigation measures as part of the public health action plan of the Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric project.展开更多
Background: Late antenatal care attendance among pregnant women at health facilities remains a significant public health problem. Globally, approximately 830 women die every day due to pregnancy-related complications ...Background: Late antenatal care attendance among pregnant women at health facilities remains a significant public health problem. Globally, approximately 830 women die every day due to pregnancy-related complications and 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries whereby 86% of pregnant women access Antenatal Care (ANC) services at least once. Objective: The general objective of the study was to determine factors associated with late antenatal care seeking behavior among pregnant women at Kyenjojo general hospital. Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study design that considered quantitative data collection methods among pregnant women attending ANC. The sample size was determined using Kish and Leslie (1969) formula using a proportion of 37% (0.37) of women who sought late ANC. A systematic sampling technique was used to sample pregnant women on daily basis. Results: A total of 283 women participated in the study. Spouse’s occupation was significantly associated with late ANC attendance (p = 0.026). On the other hand, education level of respondent (Fisher’s = 8.363, p = 0.028*), religion (Fisher’s = 5.77, p = 0.048*) and parity (Fisher’s 10.312, p = 0.026*) revealed statistically significant association with late ANC attendance. In multivariate logistic regression, on occupation, women with unemployed spouses were significantly associated with 25% increase in attendance of late ANC compared to those in formal employment (AOR = 0.25, CI: 0.073 - 0.855, p = 0.027*). Conclusion: The Majority of pregnant women sought ANC at 90.1% (n = 255). There’s a need for government to strengthen health promotion targeting women in rural communities.展开更多
Purpose: The aim of this paper is to develop a standardized and reliable measurement tool for assessing information-seeking behavior of undergraduate students.Design/methodology/approach: Based on information literacy...Purpose: The aim of this paper is to develop a standardized and reliable measurement tool for assessing information-seeking behavior of undergraduate students.Design/methodology/approach: Based on information literacy and information-seeking behavior theories, expert advice and students' interview, items of undergraduates' informationseeking behavior indicators were selected. With the analysis of homogeneity reliability, item analysis and factor analysis, this study constructs an assessment system to evaluate reliability and validity of the scale.Findings: The information-seeking behavior scale for undergraduates has divided undergraduates' information-seeking behavior into seven dimensions, which include 46 items. The reliability analysis of Cronbach's α was 0.910, and the coefficient of split-half reliability was0.817. The results of factor analysis showed that Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin(KMO) was 0.864,which indicates 55.536% of the total variation could be explained by the above seven dimensions.Research limitations: Due to a small sample size and limited sample distribution, further research need be conducted in an expanded sample size in order to explore the application scope of this evaluation system; in addition, the stability of the scale also need be confirmed.Practical implications: The paper sets up an information-seeking behavior evaluation system for undergraduates and explores the characteristics of their information-seeking behavior.This study provides guidance for the development of future information literacy education and the improvement of the information literacy level of undergraduates.Originality/value: An information-seeking behavior scale for undergraduates has been developed, which comprehensively covers information need, information source, information evaluation, information retrieval, information management, information utilization and information morality. The scale is proved to have good reliability, validity, popularity anddiscrimination that it is qualified to be an assessment tool of information-seeking behavior for Chinese undergraduates.展开更多
<b>Aim:</b> The effect of patented nutritional supplementation on drug-seeking behavior in cocaine addicted rats during acute drug withdrawal was investigated using a biased Conditioned Place Preference (C...<b>Aim:</b> The effect of patented nutritional supplementation on drug-seeking behavior in cocaine addicted rats during acute drug withdrawal was investigated using a biased Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) paradigm. <b>Method:</b> Twenty-four (24) male Sprague-Dawley rats with pre-conditioned preference for the black chamber of the CPP box were randomly divided into Cocaine (COC) or Saline (SAL) treated groups. Rats (n = 12) treated with cocaine hydrochloride 20 mg/kg/ml, <i>i.p.</i> (COC group) were confined individually to the white chamber on days 1, 3, 5 and 7. On alternate days, they were given 1 ml saline vehicle, <i>i.p.</i> and confined to the black chamber. Control rats (SAL group, n = 12) received only vehicle on all 8 days and were confined on alternate days to the white or black chamber. Positive place preference was confirmed for COC rats, which subsequently received 6 increasing daily doses of cocaine. CPP performances of both COC and SAL rats were recorded following an acute 3-day withdrawal period. All animals were then randomly assigned to rats fed either chow reconstituted with the nutritional supplement (COC-S and SAL-S) or standard rat chow (COC-N and SAL-N) for 8 weeks, followed by final CPP performances. <b>Results:</b> Following supplementation, COC-S rats made significantly less entries and time spent in the white chamber (p < 0.05) compared with COC-N rats. COC-S rats exhibited significant place aversion to the white chamber similar to drug-naive animals;whereas COC-N continued to show positive place preference. <b>Conclusion:</b> Drug-seeking behavior that persisted during cocaine withdrawal was significantly diminished in the nutritionally supplemented.展开更多
Introduction: In Ethiopia, even though there are great achievements in decreasing infant and child mortality from year 2000 to 2011, still children are suffering from diarrheal diseases, respiratory problems and malnu...Introduction: In Ethiopia, even though there are great achievements in decreasing infant and child mortality from year 2000 to 2011, still children are suffering from diarrheal diseases, respiratory problems and malnutrition. This study was done to determine the prevalence of illnesses among under-five children and mothers’/caregivers’ care seeking behavior for childhood illnesses in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was done on a sample of 415 mothers/caregivers from April 15 to May 15, 2011. Three kebeles (the smallest administrative unit) from Bahir Dar were selected randomly. The sample was proportionally distributed to the selected kebeles according to their population size. To be eligible to participate in the study, mothers had to live in households that had children under five years of age. These households were selected by systematic sampling method. Mothers/caregivers were interviewed in their homes using a structured questionnaire that had been pre-tested. The collected data were analyzed using a computer program of SPSS version 20.0. Result and Conclusions: The overall two weeks prevalence of childhood illness that had one or more symptoms of disease was 110 (26.5%). The prevalence of the most commonly reported symptoms were diarrhea, fever, acute respiratory infection (ARI) and others 11.3%, 10%, 6.3% and 4.6% among children of under five years respectively. Eighty (72.7%) of mothers sought treatment from health care facilities for sick children. The main reasons for not seeking treatment from health care facilities as reported by mothers/caregivers were, 53.3% Illness was not serious, 26.7% lack of money and 13.3% did not see any benefit for such childhood illness. Hence there is a need for designing a tailored health message for mother/ caregivers about preventable childhood illness and treatment seeking by the local health extension workers and program planners.展开更多
Most studies on beggars in Nigeria have focused exclusively on the social course of indigenous begging activities in Nigerian cities. There exists dearth of knowledge about international migrant beggars and their heal...Most studies on beggars in Nigeria have focused exclusively on the social course of indigenous begging activities in Nigerian cities. There exists dearth of knowledge about international migrant beggars and their health-seeking behavior in Ibadan Southwestern Nigeria. A cross sectional survey data were collected through purposive sampling technique among a total of 250 international migrant beggars in six locations in Ibadan. Results showed that 56% of respondents were female, few had formal education, 85.6% were married, and 94.8% were Muslim. Respondents migrated from Niger (83.6%), Chad (11.2%), Mali (4.0%) and Benin (1.2%). None had a legal residence permit. Respondents’ mean residence duration in Nigeria was 8.5 years. Malaria was common to beggars both in their home country and in Nigeria. Treatment was received from patent medicine vendors by 51.2% respondents. Advice for appropriate treatment for illness was received from family members by 44.4% migrant beggars. Sex and country of beggars have a direct relationship with the treatment seeking (P Financial and legal status of migrant beggars dynamically limited their healthcare choices. Routine health education on hygiene practice and appropriate treatment-seeking should be taken to beggars at their different locations by health workers as means of prevention of the spread of diseases.展开更多
Background:The“two-week visiting rate in those needing to visit”has been examined extensively as an important indicator of healthcare seeking behavior in China.Nevertheless,its relationship with health behaviors,suc...Background:The“two-week visiting rate in those needing to visit”has been examined extensively as an important indicator of healthcare seeking behavior in China.Nevertheless,its relationship with health behaviors,such as physical activity,remains unknown.In addition,a significant difference exists between urban and rural Chinese people in terms of physical activity and healthcare seeking behavior.This study sought to investigate the relationship between physical activity and the two-week visiting rate by conducting a stratified analysis.Methods:The analysis included 5,801 participants aged above 15 years old.Multivariable logistic regression was applied to analyze the association after adjusting for possible confounding variables.Urban and rural differences were investigated using stratified analysis.Results:Adjusted estimates showed that those who were physically active were more likely to visit a healthcare facility,but only among the whole sample(adjusted odds ratio(AOR)=1.45,95%confidence interval(CI):1.26.1.66)and the rural sample(AOR=1.56,95%CI:1.21.2.01),and not among the urban sample.Conclusions:Educating people on physical activity may help in improving healthcare seeking behavior and vice versa.Additionally,health interventions may be tailored based on different settings.展开更多
Background: Late diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and delayed commencement of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa is known to contribute to high morbidity and mortality. It is t...Background: Late diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and delayed commencement of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa is known to contribute to high morbidity and mortality. It is therefore, prudent to develop innovative approaches to ensure early HIV diagnosis because patients with low immunity will usually develop opportunistic infections and seek some remedial action. A treatment and health care seeking behavior survey was carried out in semi-urban communities in Malaba and Busia in Kenya and Uganda to evaluate the treatment and healthcare seeking behavior among patients visiting randomly selected drugstores. Methodology: Random sampling was applied and questionnaires were used to collect information from 165 interviewees who visited drugstores seeking health information, treatment and other health related services. Results: The results indicated that among this group of people, 67% visited drugstores before any other health facility. 72.2% sought treatment for various illnesses and services ranging from headaches, body fever, gastro-intestinal disturbances, family planning pills, sexually transmitted infections and chronic medications. Among the patients interviewed, there were a number of factors that affected treatment choice. These included the distance to the facility as well as the absence of a consultation fee or fee for service. Conclusion: With proper support, drugstores can play a major role in the implementation of health interventions that seek to promote early diagnosis and treatment as well as play a pivotal role in educating the population on disease prevention and management. In Sub-Saharan Africa, drugstores can play a major role in HIV and AIDS interventions where most patients seek medical intervention for opportunistic infection.展开更多
In Uganda, there is still insufficient comprehension of malaria as a lethal disease especially in rural areas despite universal bed-net distribution coverage and effective anti-malarial treatment. <strong>Aim:&l...In Uganda, there is still insufficient comprehension of malaria as a lethal disease especially in rural areas despite universal bed-net distribution coverage and effective anti-malarial treatment. <strong>Aim:</strong> To get evidence-based knowledge to establish the contribution of an individuals’ knowledge from various health communications that could increase their active involvement in health care especially seeking timely appropriate treatment for malaria or suspected malaria. <strong>Method:</strong> A cross-sectional survey using a correlational design was employed on a clustered sample of 380 rural households in 05 sub-counties of Kanungu district. Data were corrected between October 2016-January 2017 using researcher-administered questionnaires, key-informant interviews and focus group discussions. Correlation analysis was done. <strong>Result:</strong> There is a significant positive relationship between knowledge of health communications and treatment-seeking behavior (r = 0.312;<em>p</em> ≤ 0.01). <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Exposure to consistent Behavioral Change Communications messages influences treatment-seeking behaviour. Thus, in malaria-prone communities, it appears that other factors including sufficient targeted persuasive health communication are lacking in influencing personal orientations towards treatment-seeking behaviour. Therefore, proper Health Communications management supplements efforts from other disciplines and players, against malaria in Uganda.展开更多
Background: Women have experienced different menopause-related symptoms. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to see the menopause-related symptoms and help seeking behavior among the women attended at a te...Background: Women have experienced different menopause-related symptoms. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to see the menopause-related symptoms and help seeking behavior among the women attended at a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the outpatient Department of Kushtia Medical College Hospital, Kushtia, Bangladesh from October 2015 to September 2016 for a period of one (01) year. Menopausal women who were attended in the outpatient Department of Hospital were included as study population. The eligible women had at least one year of amenorrhoea. Surgical menopause or due to severe illness, extreme weight loss endocrine disorders or radio therapy were excluded. Each subject completed a questionnaire that elicited their sociodemographic information, personal and family history and current medical problems. Result: A total number of 437 women were recruited for this study. The most prevalent menopausal symptom among the participants was generalized body ache 91.30%. Followed by low back pain 88.55%, muscle & joint pain 87.18%, tiredness 86.04%, hot flush 64.30%, urinary symptoms 43.93%, vaginal dryness 48.28%, insomnia 73.91%, irritability 23.56%. Most of the participants consulted at first with village doctors (63.15%) followed by general practitioners 20.82% due to their health problems. Some sought help from traditional healers like kobiraj 3.20%. Conclusion: In conclusion, body ache, low back pain, muscle and joint pain and tiredness are the most commonly reported menopause-related symptoms that are mostly consulted with village doctors.展开更多
Purpose： This article reports on an experiment that tested community members＇ collaborative information seeking （CIS） behavior, with an emphasis on how community type and task difficulty can affect user behavior a...Purpose： This article reports on an experiment that tested community members＇ collaborative information seeking （CIS） behavior, with an emphasis on how community type and task difficulty can affect user behavior and user awareness in collaboration.Design/methodology/approach： We carried out a laboratory study with 18 participants in 9 pairs using an experimental CIS system. Data were collected from questionnaires, Web logs and semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics and two-way analysis of variance （ANOVA） were used for data analysis. Findings： Compared with non-community members, community participants had a better understanding of search tasks and were aware of the ways of completing tasks successfully. They did not depend on the information retrieval system when constructing search queries and would adopt diversified cooperation strategies. They were more likely to recommend information to their partners. However, no significant difference was found between subject- based community and interest-based community in CIS practices and user awareness in collaboration. In addition, task difficulty only influenced user preference of issuing queries and confidence of completing search tasks. Research limitations： Our work was limited by the community type we chose and the small group size, which could affect the generalizability of our findings and should be addressed in future studies. Practical implications： The study results will help inform information system designers as they design collaborative systems to facilitate social communication in the information seeking process. Originality/value： Few studies have investigated community participants＇ information seeking practices. This study provides insights into community-based CIS behavior. The findings will help us understand social interactions among community members during their information seeking process.展开更多
The article tries to discover the major authors in the field of information seeking behavior via social network analysis. It is to be accomplished through a literature review and also by focusing on a graphic map show...The article tries to discover the major authors in the field of information seeking behavior via social network analysis. It is to be accomplished through a literature review and also by focusing on a graphic map showing the seven most productive coauthors in this field. Based on these seven authors' work, five probable research directions about information seeking behavior are discerned and presented.展开更多
Purpose:This study was carried out to uncover the characteristics of information seeking behavior of researchers as faculty/student team members.Design/methodology/approach:An inventory encompassing 6 dimensions of in...Purpose:This study was carried out to uncover the characteristics of information seeking behavior of researchers as faculty/student team members.Design/methodology/approach:An inventory encompassing 6 dimensions of information seeking behavior was developed:Information awareness,information acquisition,information evaluation,information organization and management,information utilization and information ethics.Data was collected on 306 respondents from 52 faculty/student teams in Central South University in China and analyzed using SPSS 18.0 software.Findings:Significant differences were found among researchers with different genders in information awareness and in different academic disciplines in information acquisition and information utilization.The survey shows the characteristics of information seeking behavior of different gender groups and different teams:1) male participants got higher scores in all of the 6 dimensions of information seeking behavior;2) small teams performed best,followed by middle-sized teams and large teams;3) faculty/doctoral student teams possessed better information seeking skills than faculty/master’s student teams or faculty/doctoral and master’s student teams:4) medical teams achieved the highest level in all of the 6 dimensions of information seeking behavior,whereas natural science teams the lowest level.Medical and engineering teams were rated higher than other teams in information acquisition and information utilization.Research limitations:The small population size and doctoral students accounting for only a small portion of the respondents in the sample limit the generalization of our findings.Practical implications:The findings of this study have some implications for research and practice,especially for educational institutions,library science and information literacy training.Originality/value:This paper is the first to describe and analyze the characteristics of information seeking behavior of researchers as faculty/student team members.展开更多
Purpose:The purpose of this research is to investigate Chinese rural women’s information needs and information seeking behavior,with an emphasis on exploration of the intervening variables that influence information ...Purpose:The purpose of this research is to investigate Chinese rural women’s information needs and information seeking behavior,with an emphasis on exploration of the intervening variables that influence information needs and information seeking behavior.Design/methodology/approach:The sample consisted of 27 women from 9 villages in Gansu Province,Anhui Province and Tianjin City,China.Data were collected through in-depth individual interview.Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to analyze the data.Findings:Chinese rural women’s needs are basically tied to agricultural technologies,employment and health information.Social network,rather than the Internet,serves as the most frequently used information channel.Women’s cognitive ability,social role and their living environment are the 3 intervening variables that have an impact on their information needs and their information seeking behavior.Research limitations:This qualitative research is based on a small sample and conducted on specific socio-economic settings in China,which may restrict the generalization and application of relevant findings in other settings and countries.Practical implications:The study results will help librarians and information professionals better understand Chinese rural women’s information needs and information seeking behavior in an effort to find ways to solve problems they may encounter in their information seeking process.Originality/value:This paper introduced an analysis framework that provides an integrated perspective on understanding information needs and information seeking behavior of Chinese women in rural areas.展开更多
This paper reports an investigation on everyday life information seeking behavior of urban low-income group in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou City. Empirical data were collected via in-depth interviews with low-inco...This paper reports an investigation on everyday life information seeking behavior of urban low-income group in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou City. Empirical data were collected via in-depth interviews with low-income urban residents and were analyzed using qualitative methods. This paper discusses the research findings based on the more noticeable results of information seeking behavior among these people. Our approach touches on a focused study of such issues as what the role of information seeking in their everyday life is, what information they care about, which information channels they prefer to use, which factors influence their information seeking behavior, how difficult it is to seek the information they need, and how they use public libraries. Based on our research findings, we propose that public libraries should provide customized information services for urban low-income residents according to the unique characteristics of their information seeking behavior in everyday life.展开更多
癌症的防治是我国乃至全球共同面临的公共卫生问题,癌症早期筛查、早期诊断、早期治疗是降低癌症死亡率、改善预后的有效路径,关注癌症症状求助行为可帮助患者以经济有效的健康策略发现早期癌症和癌前病变。该文通过阐述癌症症状求助行...癌症的防治是我国乃至全球共同面临的公共卫生问题,癌症早期筛查、早期诊断、早期治疗是降低癌症死亡率、改善预后的有效路径,关注癌症症状求助行为可帮助患者以经济有效的健康策略发现早期癌症和癌前病变。该文通过阐述癌症症状求助行为(help-seeking behaviour for cancer symptoms)的概念与属性、相关理论模型、具体过程、影响因素及干预措施等内容,为临床医护人员了解癌症症状求助行为,探索有效的干预策略提供参考。展开更多
文摘The behavior of Chinese patients seeking help for erectile dysfunction （ED） has not been described in detail. This was an observational study conducted using an outpatient clinic-based questionnaire survey of ED patients. From 2008 to 2009, physicians in 10 medical centers in China enrolled 2693 men （aged 25-70years） diagnosed with ED. The diagnosis was based on the International Index of Erectile Function 5 （IIEF-5） Questionnaire. The men completed a survey that asked questions about demographics, marital status, education level and household income as well as help-seeking behavior and awareness of medical therapy. The mean age of the 2693 men was 43.4 5.3years; 73% were 〈50-years-old and 49% had a high household income. The mean time between noticing ED and taking the first treatment was 4.3 2.1months. Of the 2577 respondents, physicians （54%） and the internet （52%） were most frequently consulted sources for information about ED. Young ED patients preferred using the internet and older patients preferred consulting with physicians. Western medicine （19%） and traditional Chinese medicine （16%） were most frequently used for treatment. Young ED patients preferred to first search the internet for information, whereas older patients first asked physicians for help. Side effects of treatment were the greatest concern, especially for older patients. Physicians and the internet are frequently consulted for ED information and therapy. On the basis of these survey results, we believe that physicians in China should enhance health education about ED, especially via the internet.
文摘Purpose: We aim to create a model of consumer health information seeking behavior via social media, then to have a better understand of it. After that further efforts should be made to provide targeted recommendations for media managers to promote health communication via social media. Methods: Our custom model was derived from literature review, empirical research was tested by the use of questionnaire investigation, and then the collected data were analyzed by structural equation model tool SmartPLS. Finally, the custom model was modified according to the experimental results of SmartPLS. Results: A total of 239 (66.39%) of the respondents were female and 121 (33.61%) were male. The maximum of two stages of age were 18 - 29 (70.56%), 30 - 39 (13.89%). Wechat (60.28%), QQ Zone (55.22%), Micro-blog (48.89%) were the most commonly used social media to obtain health information. About 44.72% of respondents used social media to obtain health information multiple times a day. The whole numerical values of AVE, cronbach’s alpha, CR and square roots of AVE were above the benchmarks of themselves and showed great reliability and validity. All the 11 hypotheses had obvious statistical significance, the P-value of eight path coefficients exhibited <0.001, one path coefficient exhibited <0.01 and two path coefficients exhibited <0.05. Conclusions: A suitable model of consumer health information seeking behavior via social media was created and some inner relationships were found. Namely, gratification of health information and its platform had a positive effect on attitudes toward health information seeking behavior. Health information literacy and health status were proved to have a significant influence on attitudes toward health information seeking behavior, subject norms and perceived behavioral control respectively. In addition, attitudes toward the health information seeking behavior, subject norms and perceived behavioral control were proved to positively associate with health information seeking behavior intention.
基金financial support was granted by the Swiss National Science Foundationthe Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation(projects no.3270B0 - 110020 to SS and PO and no.PPOOB - 102883 to TEE and JU)
文摘Objective:To compare perceived ill-health and health seeking behavior between two communities affected by the large Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric project in central Lao People’s Democratic Republic(PDR).Methods: Two different affected areas;Nakai plateaubeing remote,sparcely populated and mountainous,and Xe Bang Fai lowland plains,more densely populated and comparatively affluent were included.Data were obtained from two cross-sectional household-based health and socio-economic surveys.Results:We found pronounced differences in the frequency of self-reported fever,cough,headache and myalgia according to location.On the Nakai plateau,45.1%of the individuals with ill-health report(recall period;2 weeks) went to a local health volunteer compared to only 7.2%in the Xe Bang Fai area(P 【 0.001 ).In Nakai,there were disproportionately more illiterates seeking help from local health volunteers when compared to those who attended at least primary schooling(49.2%versus 17.5%,P 【0.01 ).Self-medication with antimalarials was more common in Xe Bang Fai than on Nakai(32.3%versus 7.0%,P 【 0.001).The mean amount of money spent per health consultation was US $ 1.7 in Nakai and US $ 7.2 in Xe Bang Fai.Conclusion:The observed differences in self-reported ill-health and health seeking behavior among these two Lao communities need to be considered when implementing setting-specific mitigation measures as part of the public health action plan of the Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric project.
文摘Background: Late antenatal care attendance among pregnant women at health facilities remains a significant public health problem. Globally, approximately 830 women die every day due to pregnancy-related complications and 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries whereby 86% of pregnant women access Antenatal Care (ANC) services at least once. Objective: The general objective of the study was to determine factors associated with late antenatal care seeking behavior among pregnant women at Kyenjojo general hospital. Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study design that considered quantitative data collection methods among pregnant women attending ANC. The sample size was determined using Kish and Leslie (1969) formula using a proportion of 37% (0.37) of women who sought late ANC. A systematic sampling technique was used to sample pregnant women on daily basis. Results: A total of 283 women participated in the study. Spouse’s occupation was significantly associated with late ANC attendance (p = 0.026). On the other hand, education level of respondent (Fisher’s = 8.363, p = 0.028*), religion (Fisher’s = 5.77, p = 0.048*) and parity (Fisher’s 10.312, p = 0.026*) revealed statistically significant association with late ANC attendance. In multivariate logistic regression, on occupation, women with unemployed spouses were significantly associated with 25% increase in attendance of late ANC compared to those in formal employment (AOR = 0.25, CI: 0.073 - 0.855, p = 0.027*). Conclusion: The Majority of pregnant women sought ANC at 90.1% (n = 255). There’s a need for government to strengthen health promotion targeting women in rural communities.
基金supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China(Grant No.:11BTQ044)the Innovative Training Program for College Students in Changsha University(Grant No:CW11255)
文摘Purpose: The aim of this paper is to develop a standardized and reliable measurement tool for assessing information-seeking behavior of undergraduate students.Design/methodology/approach: Based on information literacy and information-seeking behavior theories, expert advice and students' interview, items of undergraduates' informationseeking behavior indicators were selected. With the analysis of homogeneity reliability, item analysis and factor analysis, this study constructs an assessment system to evaluate reliability and validity of the scale.Findings: The information-seeking behavior scale for undergraduates has divided undergraduates' information-seeking behavior into seven dimensions, which include 46 items. The reliability analysis of Cronbach's α was 0.910, and the coefficient of split-half reliability was0.817. The results of factor analysis showed that Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin(KMO) was 0.864,which indicates 55.536% of the total variation could be explained by the above seven dimensions.Research limitations: Due to a small sample size and limited sample distribution, further research need be conducted in an expanded sample size in order to explore the application scope of this evaluation system; in addition, the stability of the scale also need be confirmed.Practical implications: The paper sets up an information-seeking behavior evaluation system for undergraduates and explores the characteristics of their information-seeking behavior.This study provides guidance for the development of future information literacy education and the improvement of the information literacy level of undergraduates.Originality/value: An information-seeking behavior scale for undergraduates has been developed, which comprehensively covers information need, information source, information evaluation, information retrieval, information management, information utilization and information morality. The scale is proved to have good reliability, validity, popularity anddiscrimination that it is qualified to be an assessment tool of information-seeking behavior for Chinese undergraduates.
文摘<b>Aim:</b> The effect of patented nutritional supplementation on drug-seeking behavior in cocaine addicted rats during acute drug withdrawal was investigated using a biased Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) paradigm. <b>Method:</b> Twenty-four (24) male Sprague-Dawley rats with pre-conditioned preference for the black chamber of the CPP box were randomly divided into Cocaine (COC) or Saline (SAL) treated groups. Rats (n = 12) treated with cocaine hydrochloride 20 mg/kg/ml, <i>i.p.</i> (COC group) were confined individually to the white chamber on days 1, 3, 5 and 7. On alternate days, they were given 1 ml saline vehicle, <i>i.p.</i> and confined to the black chamber. Control rats (SAL group, n = 12) received only vehicle on all 8 days and were confined on alternate days to the white or black chamber. Positive place preference was confirmed for COC rats, which subsequently received 6 increasing daily doses of cocaine. CPP performances of both COC and SAL rats were recorded following an acute 3-day withdrawal period. All animals were then randomly assigned to rats fed either chow reconstituted with the nutritional supplement (COC-S and SAL-S) or standard rat chow (COC-N and SAL-N) for 8 weeks, followed by final CPP performances. <b>Results:</b> Following supplementation, COC-S rats made significantly less entries and time spent in the white chamber (p < 0.05) compared with COC-N rats. COC-S rats exhibited significant place aversion to the white chamber similar to drug-naive animals;whereas COC-N continued to show positive place preference. <b>Conclusion:</b> Drug-seeking behavior that persisted during cocaine withdrawal was significantly diminished in the nutritionally supplemented.
文摘Introduction: In Ethiopia, even though there are great achievements in decreasing infant and child mortality from year 2000 to 2011, still children are suffering from diarrheal diseases, respiratory problems and malnutrition. This study was done to determine the prevalence of illnesses among under-five children and mothers’/caregivers’ care seeking behavior for childhood illnesses in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was done on a sample of 415 mothers/caregivers from April 15 to May 15, 2011. Three kebeles (the smallest administrative unit) from Bahir Dar were selected randomly. The sample was proportionally distributed to the selected kebeles according to their population size. To be eligible to participate in the study, mothers had to live in households that had children under five years of age. These households were selected by systematic sampling method. Mothers/caregivers were interviewed in their homes using a structured questionnaire that had been pre-tested. The collected data were analyzed using a computer program of SPSS version 20.0. Result and Conclusions: The overall two weeks prevalence of childhood illness that had one or more symptoms of disease was 110 (26.5%). The prevalence of the most commonly reported symptoms were diarrhea, fever, acute respiratory infection (ARI) and others 11.3%, 10%, 6.3% and 4.6% among children of under five years respectively. Eighty (72.7%) of mothers sought treatment from health care facilities for sick children. The main reasons for not seeking treatment from health care facilities as reported by mothers/caregivers were, 53.3% Illness was not serious, 26.7% lack of money and 13.3% did not see any benefit for such childhood illness. Hence there is a need for designing a tailored health message for mother/ caregivers about preventable childhood illness and treatment seeking by the local health extension workers and program planners.
文摘Most studies on beggars in Nigeria have focused exclusively on the social course of indigenous begging activities in Nigerian cities. There exists dearth of knowledge about international migrant beggars and their health-seeking behavior in Ibadan Southwestern Nigeria. A cross sectional survey data were collected through purposive sampling technique among a total of 250 international migrant beggars in six locations in Ibadan. Results showed that 56% of respondents were female, few had formal education, 85.6% were married, and 94.8% were Muslim. Respondents migrated from Niger (83.6%), Chad (11.2%), Mali (4.0%) and Benin (1.2%). None had a legal residence permit. Respondents’ mean residence duration in Nigeria was 8.5 years. Malaria was common to beggars both in their home country and in Nigeria. Treatment was received from patent medicine vendors by 51.2% respondents. Advice for appropriate treatment for illness was received from family members by 44.4% migrant beggars. Sex and country of beggars have a direct relationship with the treatment seeking (P Financial and legal status of migrant beggars dynamically limited their healthcare choices. Routine health education on hygiene practice and appropriate treatment-seeking should be taken to beggars at their different locations by health workers as means of prevention of the spread of diseases.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.71904135)the Sichuan Science and Technology Program(2019YFS0274).The funding bodies played no role in the design of the study and collection,analysis,and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript.
文摘Background:The“two-week visiting rate in those needing to visit”has been examined extensively as an important indicator of healthcare seeking behavior in China.Nevertheless,its relationship with health behaviors,such as physical activity,remains unknown.In addition,a significant difference exists between urban and rural Chinese people in terms of physical activity and healthcare seeking behavior.This study sought to investigate the relationship between physical activity and the two-week visiting rate by conducting a stratified analysis.Methods:The analysis included 5,801 participants aged above 15 years old.Multivariable logistic regression was applied to analyze the association after adjusting for possible confounding variables.Urban and rural differences were investigated using stratified analysis.Results:Adjusted estimates showed that those who were physically active were more likely to visit a healthcare facility,but only among the whole sample(adjusted odds ratio(AOR)=1.45,95%confidence interval(CI):1.26.1.66)and the rural sample(AOR=1.56,95%CI:1.21.2.01),and not among the urban sample.Conclusions:Educating people on physical activity may help in improving healthcare seeking behavior and vice versa.Additionally,health interventions may be tailored based on different settings.
文摘Background: Late diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and delayed commencement of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa is known to contribute to high morbidity and mortality. It is therefore, prudent to develop innovative approaches to ensure early HIV diagnosis because patients with low immunity will usually develop opportunistic infections and seek some remedial action. A treatment and health care seeking behavior survey was carried out in semi-urban communities in Malaba and Busia in Kenya and Uganda to evaluate the treatment and healthcare seeking behavior among patients visiting randomly selected drugstores. Methodology: Random sampling was applied and questionnaires were used to collect information from 165 interviewees who visited drugstores seeking health information, treatment and other health related services. Results: The results indicated that among this group of people, 67% visited drugstores before any other health facility. 72.2% sought treatment for various illnesses and services ranging from headaches, body fever, gastro-intestinal disturbances, family planning pills, sexually transmitted infections and chronic medications. Among the patients interviewed, there were a number of factors that affected treatment choice. These included the distance to the facility as well as the absence of a consultation fee or fee for service. Conclusion: With proper support, drugstores can play a major role in the implementation of health interventions that seek to promote early diagnosis and treatment as well as play a pivotal role in educating the population on disease prevention and management. In Sub-Saharan Africa, drugstores can play a major role in HIV and AIDS interventions where most patients seek medical intervention for opportunistic infection.
文摘In Uganda, there is still insufficient comprehension of malaria as a lethal disease especially in rural areas despite universal bed-net distribution coverage and effective anti-malarial treatment. <strong>Aim:</strong> To get evidence-based knowledge to establish the contribution of an individuals’ knowledge from various health communications that could increase their active involvement in health care especially seeking timely appropriate treatment for malaria or suspected malaria. <strong>Method:</strong> A cross-sectional survey using a correlational design was employed on a clustered sample of 380 rural households in 05 sub-counties of Kanungu district. Data were corrected between October 2016-January 2017 using researcher-administered questionnaires, key-informant interviews and focus group discussions. Correlation analysis was done. <strong>Result:</strong> There is a significant positive relationship between knowledge of health communications and treatment-seeking behavior (r = 0.312;<em>p</em> ≤ 0.01). <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Exposure to consistent Behavioral Change Communications messages influences treatment-seeking behaviour. Thus, in malaria-prone communities, it appears that other factors including sufficient targeted persuasive health communication are lacking in influencing personal orientations towards treatment-seeking behaviour. Therefore, proper Health Communications management supplements efforts from other disciplines and players, against malaria in Uganda.
文摘Background: Women have experienced different menopause-related symptoms. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to see the menopause-related symptoms and help seeking behavior among the women attended at a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the outpatient Department of Kushtia Medical College Hospital, Kushtia, Bangladesh from October 2015 to September 2016 for a period of one (01) year. Menopausal women who were attended in the outpatient Department of Hospital were included as study population. The eligible women had at least one year of amenorrhoea. Surgical menopause or due to severe illness, extreme weight loss endocrine disorders or radio therapy were excluded. Each subject completed a questionnaire that elicited their sociodemographic information, personal and family history and current medical problems. Result: A total number of 437 women were recruited for this study. The most prevalent menopausal symptom among the participants was generalized body ache 91.30%. Followed by low back pain 88.55%, muscle & joint pain 87.18%, tiredness 86.04%, hot flush 64.30%, urinary symptoms 43.93%, vaginal dryness 48.28%, insomnia 73.91%, irritability 23.56%. Most of the participants consulted at first with village doctors (63.15%) followed by general practitioners 20.82% due to their health problems. Some sought help from traditional healers like kobiraj 3.20%. Conclusion: In conclusion, body ache, low back pain, muscle and joint pain and tiredness are the most commonly reported menopause-related symptoms that are mostly consulted with village doctors.
基金supported by the National Program for Support of Top-notch Young Professionals
文摘Purpose： This article reports on an experiment that tested community members＇ collaborative information seeking （CIS） behavior, with an emphasis on how community type and task difficulty can affect user behavior and user awareness in collaboration.Design/methodology/approach： We carried out a laboratory study with 18 participants in 9 pairs using an experimental CIS system. Data were collected from questionnaires, Web logs and semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics and two-way analysis of variance （ANOVA） were used for data analysis. Findings： Compared with non-community members, community participants had a better understanding of search tasks and were aware of the ways of completing tasks successfully. They did not depend on the information retrieval system when constructing search queries and would adopt diversified cooperation strategies. They were more likely to recommend information to their partners. However, no significant difference was found between subject- based community and interest-based community in CIS practices and user awareness in collaboration. In addition, task difficulty only influenced user preference of issuing queries and confidence of completing search tasks. Research limitations： Our work was limited by the community type we chose and the small group size, which could affect the generalizability of our findings and should be addressed in future studies. Practical implications： The study results will help inform information system designers as they design collaborative systems to facilitate social communication in the information seeking process. Originality/value： Few studies have investigated community participants＇ information seeking practices. This study provides insights into community-based CIS behavior. The findings will help us understand social interactions among community members during their information seeking process.
文摘The article tries to discover the major authors in the field of information seeking behavior via social network analysis. It is to be accomplished through a literature review and also by focusing on a graphic map showing the seven most productive coauthors in this field. Based on these seven authors' work, five probable research directions about information seeking behavior are discerned and presented.
基金supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China(Grant No.:11BTQ044)
文摘Purpose:This study was carried out to uncover the characteristics of information seeking behavior of researchers as faculty/student team members.Design/methodology/approach:An inventory encompassing 6 dimensions of information seeking behavior was developed:Information awareness,information acquisition,information evaluation,information organization and management,information utilization and information ethics.Data was collected on 306 respondents from 52 faculty/student teams in Central South University in China and analyzed using SPSS 18.0 software.Findings:Significant differences were found among researchers with different genders in information awareness and in different academic disciplines in information acquisition and information utilization.The survey shows the characteristics of information seeking behavior of different gender groups and different teams:1) male participants got higher scores in all of the 6 dimensions of information seeking behavior;2) small teams performed best,followed by middle-sized teams and large teams;3) faculty/doctoral student teams possessed better information seeking skills than faculty/master’s student teams or faculty/doctoral and master’s student teams:4) medical teams achieved the highest level in all of the 6 dimensions of information seeking behavior,whereas natural science teams the lowest level.Medical and engineering teams were rated higher than other teams in information acquisition and information utilization.Research limitations:The small population size and doctoral students accounting for only a small portion of the respondents in the sample limit the generalization of our findings.Practical implications:The findings of this study have some implications for research and practice,especially for educational institutions,library science and information literacy training.Originality/value:This paper is the first to describe and analyze the characteristics of information seeking behavior of researchers as faculty/student team members.
基金supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China(Grant No.:11CTQ009)
文摘Purpose:The purpose of this research is to investigate Chinese rural women’s information needs and information seeking behavior,with an emphasis on exploration of the intervening variables that influence information needs and information seeking behavior.Design/methodology/approach:The sample consisted of 27 women from 9 villages in Gansu Province,Anhui Province and Tianjin City,China.Data were collected through in-depth individual interview.Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to analyze the data.Findings:Chinese rural women’s needs are basically tied to agricultural technologies,employment and health information.Social network,rather than the Internet,serves as the most frequently used information channel.Women’s cognitive ability,social role and their living environment are the 3 intervening variables that have an impact on their information needs and their information seeking behavior.Research limitations:This qualitative research is based on a small sample and conducted on specific socio-economic settings in China,which may restrict the generalization and application of relevant findings in other settings and countries.Practical implications:The study results will help librarians and information professionals better understand Chinese rural women’s information needs and information seeking behavior in an effort to find ways to solve problems they may encounter in their information seeking process.Originality/value:This paper introduced an analysis framework that provides an integrated perspective on understanding information needs and information seeking behavior of Chinese women in rural areas.
基金supported by the postgraduate summer science and research training scheme of Sun Yat-sen University(SYSU) in 2010
文摘This paper reports an investigation on everyday life information seeking behavior of urban low-income group in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou City. Empirical data were collected via in-depth interviews with low-income urban residents and were analyzed using qualitative methods. This paper discusses the research findings based on the more noticeable results of information seeking behavior among these people. Our approach touches on a focused study of such issues as what the role of information seeking in their everyday life is, what information they care about, which information channels they prefer to use, which factors influence their information seeking behavior, how difficult it is to seek the information they need, and how they use public libraries. Based on our research findings, we propose that public libraries should provide customized information services for urban low-income residents according to the unique characteristics of their information seeking behavior in everyday life.
文摘癌症的防治是我国乃至全球共同面临的公共卫生问题,癌症早期筛查、早期诊断、早期治疗是降低癌症死亡率、改善预后的有效路径,关注癌症症状求助行为可帮助患者以经济有效的健康策略发现早期癌症和癌前病变。该文通过阐述癌症症状求助行为(help-seeking behaviour for cancer symptoms)的概念与属性、相关理论模型、具体过程、影响因素及干预措施等内容,为临床医护人员了解癌症症状求助行为,探索有效的干预策略提供参考。
