Information-Seeking Behavior of the Elderly in the Health Area: A Case Study in Golestan Province

The information-seeking behavior of the elderly, the information needs of this group regarding health, and the problems and barriers to accessing this information are of great importance and play an influential role in the self-management process of the elderly. This study aims to investigate the health information-seeking behavior of the elderly in Golestan Province.

In this survey study, 239 elderly individuals from Golestan Province were included. The Medlock questionnaire used for data collection. The study participants were selected using a convenience sampling method. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis, including correlation and Poisson regression tests. All analyses were performed using SPSS 26 software at a significance level of 0.05.

The results revealed that the most used and reliable sources by the elderly were “Direct contact with health professionals” (29.29%) and “Television” (19.75%). The highest information searches were in scientific care, nutrition, physical activities, specific disease symptoms and causes, prescribed medications, coping with a disease, side effects of treatment, disease prediction, and treatment methods. A high correlation was found between Trust in Friends/Acquaintances (0.656), Television (0.641), and Radio (0.632) as sources of health information. In contrast, a low correlation was observed between Trust in educational courses and lectures (0.324) and Books/Encyclopedias (0.274) for obtaining health information.

It is necessary to establish a direct communication infrastructure between health professionals and the public through expanding programs such as family physicians and developing evidence-based television programs with a knowledge translation approach.