Description
Background: Information seeking and scanning describe active and routine exposure to health information and its association with health behavior. These concepts may also be related to population-level health disparities. Previous literature notes that access and use of health information differs across racial and socio-economic status (SES), which may contribute to disparities in health outcomes. Inconsistent use of contraception, which occurs at disparate rates along ethnic and SES lines, may be related to disparate rates of information seeking and scanning. Objective: In order to understand what contraception information young women use and its association with factors in the integrative model of behavioral prediction (IMBP), this thesis assessed the information seeking and scanning behaviors of young women. Rates of seeking and scanning and sources for information were compared across ethnic and SES groups. Method: Rates of information seeking and scanning as well as sources used were assessed through an online survey of 578 women aged 18-29. Participants' knowledge, attitude, perceived norm, and perceived behavioral control (PBC), intention to use contraception, and contraception use behavior were measured. Demographic information such as ethnicity, age, relationship status, and SES was obtained. Results: There was a negative relationship between PBC and injunctive norms and scanning such that women who seek information more frequently had lower PBC. Rates of seeking and scanning were the same for all racial and SES groups. However, significant differences existed for the type interpersonal sources used to seek and scan across racial and SES lines. In addition, use of particular sources was related to consistent contraception use and intention to use contraception in the future. Discussion: Both interpersonal and mediated sources are associated with consistent use and intentions to use contraception in the future. Ethnic group and SES level are related to the sources used to seek and scan. Practitioners should target messages towards specific sources their audience depends on for information. Future theoretical work should look into the efficacy uses of information sources.
