The Influence Of The Internet On Health Seeking Behaviour Of Nursing Mothers In Ekiti State, Nigeria
Volume 1 - Issue 5, November 2017 Edition
[Download Full Paper]
Author(s)
Folayan Opeoluwa F., Adeosun Foluke O., Adeosun Oluwatosin T., Adedeji Bethel O.
Keywords
Internet, Nursing mothers, Health seeking behaviour, self medication.
Abstract
The use of internet services to investigate health-related issues is now on the increase among nursing mothers in Nigeria; however, the quality of health information provided on various online sites is questionable. Unfortunately, very little studies have been conduced to explore the influence the internet has on the health seeking behaviour of nursing mothers in Nigeria. This study investigates the influence of the internet on health seeking behaviours of nursing mothers and examines internet’s influence on their health seeking behaviour. A standardized 10-question survey on Internet use and health seeking behaviour was given to 150 nursing mothers in Ekiti State. It was found that out of 142 responses received, 109 nursing mothers (76.7%) reported using the Internet to find health information. 105 nursing mothers (96.3%) out of the 109 consult the internet for answers to their babies’ health problems before consulting a doctor or a care giver. 81.6% of the nursing mothers adhere to the online physician’s advice thereby leading to self medication. An aggregate of 101 (92.6%) nursing mothers submitted that the internet influences their health seeking decisions. Conclusively, the tests of hypothesis show a significant relationship between the use of internet and health seeking behaviours of nursing mothers and also, between the use of internet and self medication among them.
References
[1] Gao L.L, Larsson M, Luo S.Y. “Internet use by Chinese women seeking pregnancy-related information. Midwiferyâ€, 29(7), doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2012.07.003, pp 730–735, 2013
[2] Ghweeba M, Lindenmeyer A, Shishi S, Abbas M, Waheed A, Amer S. “What Predicts Online Health Information-Seeking Behavior Among Egyptian Adults? A Cross-Sectional Studyâ€, Journal of Medical Internet Res. 19(6), 2017.
[3] Lagan BM, Sinclair M, Kernohan W.G. “What is the impact of the Internet on decision-making in pregnancy? A global study of Birthâ€, doi: 10.1111/j.1523-536X.2011.00488.x, 38(4), pp 336–345, 2011.
[4] Lee, H. S. “Health information needs and seeking behaviors among Korean mothers in the United Statesâ€, Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, USA, 52. https://www.asist.org/files/meetings/am15/proceedings/frontmatter/titlepage15.html, 2015
[5] Metta, E. O. “Health-seeking behaviour among adults in the context of the epidemiological transition in Southeastern Tanzania: A focus on malaria and diabetes [Groningen]â€, University of Groningen, 2016.
[6] Renahy, E., Parizot, I., & Chauvin, P. “Determinants of the frequency of online health information seeking: Results of a Web-based survey conducted in France in 2007â€, Informatics for Health & Social Care, 35(1), pp 25-39, 2010.
[7] Sally B. Owusu-Addo, Ebenezer Owusu-Addo, Emmanuel S.K. Morhe. “Health information-seeking behaviours among pregnant teenagers in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, Ghanaâ€, Midwifery Journal Ghana, 41(10), pp 110-117, 2016.
[8] Sayakhot, P., & Carolan-Olah, M. “Internet use by pregnant women seeking pregnancy-related information: A systematic reviewâ€, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, http://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-016-0856-5, 16(2), 2016.
[9] Skranes, L., Løhaugen, G., BotngÃ¥rd, A., & Skranes, J. “Internet use among mothers of young children in Norway: A survey of Internet habits and perceived parental competence when caring for a sick childâ€, Journal of Public Health, 22 (5), pp 423-431, 2014.
[10] Smith M, Saunders R, Stuckhardt L, et al., editors. “Best Care at Lower Cost: The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in America. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US), Engaging Patients, Families, and Communities, Committee on the Learning Health Care System in Americaâ€, Institute of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207234/, 10(7), 2013.s
[11] Song H, Cramer EM, McRoy S, May A. “Information needs, seeking behaviors, and support among low-income expectant women. Women Healthâ€, doi: 10.1080/03630242.2013.831019, 53(8), pp 824–842, 2013
[12] Tanni, M. "Teacher trainees’ information acquisition in lesson planning", Information Research, [Available at http://InformationR.net/ir/17-3/paper530.html], 17(3) pp 530, 2012.
[13] Varol OnurKayhan (2013). “Seeking health information on the web: Positive hypothesis testing. International Journal of Medical Informaticsâ€, 82(4), pp 268-275, April 2013.
[14] Wura Jacobs, Ann O. Amuta, Kwon Chan Jeon & Claudia Alvares. “Health information seeking in the di gital age: An analysis of health information seeking behavior among US adultsâ€, Cogent Social Sciences, 3(1), 2017.
