University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

International students’ health information seeking: Motivations, barriers and changes

Pan, Xue; Rubenstein, Ellen L.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122815

Description

Title
International students’ health information seeking: Motivations, barriers and changes
Author(s)
  • Pan, Xue
  • Rubenstein, Ellen L.
Issue Date
2024-03-20
Keyword(s)
  • International students
  • Health information seeking
  • Health information needs
Abstract
Health issues are prevalent among international students, and access to health information can help them manage their conditions and maintain their well-being. However, they are usually meet various barriers when they access health information. This study interviewed 11 international students in the United States to explore their behavior in seeking health information. The analysis revealed that their information-seeking patterns change once they arrive in the U.S. to attend university. They rely more on friends and the Internet in choosing information sources and use multiple languages for their search behavior. They also encounter more barriers in health infor-mation access. International students worry about language and cost as well as contend with a lack of understanding and distrust of the medical system, all of which hinder their access to information. These findings have implica-tions for developing strategies to enhance health information seeking among international students.
Publisher
iSchools
Series/Report Name or Number
iConference 2024 Proceedings
Type of Resource
Other
Language
eng
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122815
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2024 is held by Xue Pan and Ellen L. Rubenstein. Copyright permissions, when appropriate, must be obtained directly from the authors.

Owning Collections

iConference 2024 Posters PRIMARY
Posters presented at the 2024 iConference https://www.ischools.org/iconference