Health information seeking behavior of individuals with hearing loss in an online community

Abstract

To address the dearth of research on the behavior of individuals with hearing loss who seek health information, this pilot study was designed to explore their health concerns and information needs in an online community, AllDeaf. The authors analyzed 559 health questions asked in the community forum, Lifestyle, Health, Fitness & Food. Specifically, the authors coded the types of information and information sources sought by participants as well as their health concerns. The findings showed that ear problems and mental health issues were the main health concerns of people with hearing loss, and they tended to seek factual information about other members’ similar experiences. This study can contribute to our understanding of health information behavior of people with hearing loss, and provides useful implications for the improvement in, and development of, health information services that are customized to their information needs.