• Journal of the Korean Society for information Management
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.73-99
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to analyze the health information use experience of middle-aged people in their 40s and 50s and to observe and analyze their health information search behaviors according to health consciousness and health information orientation. This study uses Information Foraging Theory with the concept of information scents which leads users to detect and collect cues in information searching. Types and contents of information cues that middle-aged people use when searching for health information were investigated. Also, how their health consciousness and health information orientation affected using information cues were analyzed. Three methods of research were used; (1) pre-interviews, (2) search experiments, and (3) post-interviews. Thirty-two middle-aged people participated in the study. Their performance on health information searching was recorded and referred to in the post-interviews using a think-aloud protocol. Findings presented that middle-aged people's health consciousness and health information orientation affected the perception of information scents in health information search; those with high health consciousness and health information orientation consider the text made by the government office the most critical information cues. We believe findings from this study could be used for public libraries or non-profit institutions to understand middle-aged people's health information behaviors to design education programs for information retrieval considering users' health consciousness and health information orientation. Findings could also contribute to Internet portal site or health-related web site designers developing strategies for middle-aged users to access health information effectively.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.28
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• pp.18.1-18.8
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• 2013

Objectives As public concern on possible harmful effects of mobile phone in children has been raised, information of epidemiological characteristics of mobile phone use in children and adolescents will be essential for public health policy. Methods Using three databases (n=21,693) collected from 2008 to 2011, we examined characteristics of mobile phone ownership and use, and socioeconomic positions (SEP) in Korean children and adolescents. Results The ownership rate and the amount of mobile phone use were higher in females than males, in higher school grades than lower grades, and at 2011 than 2008. The average age of first mobile phone ownership was shown to decrease from 12.5 years in currently high school students to 8.4 years in currently elementary school students at 2011. More than 90% of children in the 5th grade owned a mobile phone. More children owned a mobile phone in lower SEP communities than in higher SEP. Children with parents educated less than those with parents educated more were more likely to own and use mobile phone. Conclusions Considering the epidemiological characteristics of mobile phone use, precautionary measures to prevent unnecessary exposure to mobile phones are needed in children and adolescents.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 2012

Previous research on online health (e-health) information was primarily focused on consumer information search behavior and information quality. Although studies addressing online information quality have flourished, they have yet to thoroughly examine whether consumers actually use the information they search. The purspose of this study suggests a conceptual framework that examines the potential antecedents of a consumers' willingness to depend on e-health information as an indicator of the consumer's trust of the provided e-health information. The proposed antecedents include healthcare product involvement, online skill level, perceived quality, and credibility of the source. Using structural equation modeling on online survey data, seven hypotheses, which describe the relationships between the variables of the model, were tested. The results indicate that consumer willingness to depend on provided e-health information was significantly influenced by the consumers' perceived quality and credibility of specific e-health information. Consumer involvement in healthcare and their online skill-level, respectively, also positively related to perceived quality and credibility regarding e-health information.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.279-300
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• 2021

The present study aimed to investigate the information needs and information seeking behavior of consumers who attempted to quit or maintain the ceasing of smoking and analyze the effects of the health information obtained at different stages. In particular, we examined how consumers use mobile health applications(health apps) as aids to change unhealthy behaviors and how their use of health apps influence health behavior changes. For 7 months from December 2017 to July 2018, the researchers observed changes in smoking behaviors of college students who use smoking-cessation apps and conducted face-to-face interviews. Regarding the effects of smoking-cessation apps, the participants in the action stage reported that they were encouraged to quit smoking by visualized information such as the number of days of smoking cessation, change of health status, and the saving of money due to smoking cessation. The participants in the maintenance stage highlighted that smoking cessation apps were helpful in recognizing the importance and achievement of smoking cessation by sharing experiences and social support with other attempters in the app community. The study provided theoretical implications in the field of information behavior in that it identified the particular types of information needs and information-seeking behavior of the consumers who were using mobile apps in their behavior modification process. In addition, those findings can contribute to designing the contents of the smoking cessation apps that reflect the information needs of those who attempt to cease smoking and further suggest practical insights to health information services that promote effective information intervention strategies in health behavior change.

• Journal of information and communication convergence engineering
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.85-90
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• 2017

Expert systems for health diagnosis are only for medical experts who have deep knowledge in the field but we need a self-checking pre-diagnosis system for preventive public health monitoring. Korea Traditional Medicine is popular in use among Korean public but there exist few available health information systems on the internet. A computerized self-checking diagnosis system is proposed to reduce the social cost by monitoring health status with simple symptom checking procedures especially for Korea Traditional Medicine users. Based on the national reports for disease/symptoms of Korea Traditional Medicine, we build a reliable database and devise an intelligent inference engine using fuzzy c-means clustering. The implemented system gives five most probable diseases a user might have with respect to symptoms given by the user. Inference results are verified by Korea Traditional Medicine doctors as sufficiently accurate and easy to use.

• Healthcare Informatics Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.359-370
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• 2018

Objectives: We assessed the public acceptance of a health information exchange (HIE) and examined factors that influenced the acceptance and associations among constructs of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Methods: We collected data from a survey of 1,000 individuals in Korea, which was administered through a structured questionnaire. We assessed the validity and reliability of the survey instrument with exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha coefficients. We computed descriptive statistics to assess the acceptance and performed regression analyses with a structural equation model to estimate the magnitude and significance of influences among constructs of TAM. Results: Eighty-seven percent of the respondents were willing to use the technology, and the average level of agreement with the need for the technology was 4.16 on a 5-point Likert scale. The perception of ease of use of the technology significantly influenced perceptions of usefulness and attitudes about the need for HIE. Perceptions of usefulness influenced attitude and behavioral intention to use HIE, and attitude influenced intention. Age showed a wide range of influences throughout the model, and experience with offline-based information exchange and health status also showed noteworthy influences. Conclusions: The public acceptance of HIE was high, and influences posited by TAM were mostly confirmed by the study results. The study findings indicated a need for an education and communication strategy tailored by population age, health status, and prior experience with offline-based exchange to gain public buy-in for a successful introduction of the technology.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.94-105
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• 2017

A menu labeling initiative is a lawful regulation with an aim to promote public health by providing customers the right to make informed menu choices. As college years are a critical period in which students form dietary habits, which are sustained throughout their lives, provision of nutritional information at the university dining services is important to students' health and life. Due to the lack of research on menu labeling at university dining services, the purpose of this study was to examine college students' attitudes and motivations toward menu labeling at university dining services, as well as their use intentions toward nutrition information at university dining services. Data were collected from a self-administered survey distributed to 484 college students who had experienced university dining services. Motivations of university students toward menu labeling were categorized into 'knowledge pursuit' and 'health pursuit'. Students' attitudes toward menu labeling had a positive effect on their intention to use menu labeling at university dining services. The findings of the study indicated that female students, or those who frequently used nutrition information, tended to have higher attitudes, motivations, and use intentions toward nutrition information. The study results suggest that facilitation of healthy eating environments at university dining services by offering nutrition information, and nutrition and health education is necessary.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.241-248
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• 2008

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to identify a gap between consumer characteristics and utilization of health information on the Internet. Methods: A telephone survey of nationally representative samples was conducted using structured questionnaires, and 1,000 of the 1,189 responses obtained were included in our analysis. The following variables were included in the analysis as potential predictors of health information use on the Internet: predisposing factors such as gender, age, and education status; enabling factors such as region and monthly household income; consumer need for health information; and attitude to health. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between utilization rate and the potential predictors. Results: Thirty-nine percent of consumers had obtained health information on the Internet over a one-year period. The utilization rates were higher for consumers who were young, educated, worked in the office setting, had higher incomes, wanted health information, and were able to use the Internet. The utilization rate was 5.35 times higher in the younger group (20-30 years) than in the elderly group (95% CI=2.21-12.97); 2.21 times higher for office workers than for manual workers (95% CI=1.16-4.20); 3.61 times higher for college graduates than for middle school graduates and below (95% CI=1.07-11.59); 1.99 times higher for people with monthly household incomes over 3,000,000 won than for those with monthly household incomes below 1,500,000 won (95% CI=1.01-3.92). Conclusions: There needs to be a paradigm shift, with consideration of not only Internet accessibility in the digital age, but also consumer ability and attitudes toward utilization of health information.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.7
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• pp.51-58
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• 2006

Background & Objectives: This study investigates the recognition on the necessity of the use of radiation for both college students who are considered that they have a high knowledge level in radiation and proposes basic materials to change the recognition of the use of radiation. Also, the investigation was applied to average people who showed the most negative attitudes on radiation. Methods: A questionnaire was applied to 600 college students for five days from October 10 to 15, 2005 and used in statistical analysis. Results: The average value obtained in the recognition of the use of radiation was 76.60 points in which male respondents who were majored in natural science, health, and engineering department and respondents who have experienced radiation related education, radiation diagnosis, and radiation treatment demonstrated higher levels. Also, the average value obtained in the recognition of the radiation damage was 71.66 points in which respondents who were majored in natural sciences, humanities, engineering, and health department showed higher levels than that of respondents who were majored in art and physical department. Groups that exhibited higher recognition levels in the necessity of the use of radiation were male respondents and respondents who were majored in natural science, humanities, and health department and have experienced radiation diagnosis and radiation treatment. In the results of the correlation analysis on the necessity of the use of radiation and recognition of radiation damages, the recognition of radiation damages was presented as negative attitudes in the case of the higher recognition level in the necessity of the use of radiation. Conclusions: Regarding the frequency of the use of radiation in Korea, a 80.9% of university students who showed a high education level had no experiences in radiation related education. Although they showed a relatively high level of 76.6 points in the recognition level of the necessity of the use of radiation, the negative attitude on the radiation damage was also presented as a high level of 71.7 points. Because the providing chance of radiation related information was limited as compared to the atomic power used in Korea and dependancy of the use of radiation, it is necessary to provide the basic information related in the use of radiation to the public. In addition, various investigations on the use of radiation and such negative attitudes are required in future for the public. Also, the correct information of the radiation safety should be delivered to the public.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.108-116
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• 2003

Objective : To determine the relationships between customer's attitude, the subjective norm and the intention to use hospital-based health promotion services. Methods : This study was based on the theory of reasoned action, suggested by Fishbein and Ajzen. The subjects of this study were 501 residents of Seoul, Bun-dang, Il-san and Pyung-chon city, under 65 years, who were stratified by sex and age. A covariance structural analysis was used to identify the structural relationships between attitude towards health promotion programs or services, their subjective norm and their intention to use the aforementioned services. Results : The subjective norm for using the health promotion programs or services provided by hospitals was a significant predictor of the intention to use, but the attitude towards the services was not significant Conclusions : Our results suggest that a customer's reference group affects their use of the hospital-based health promotion services. Because the subjects of this study were restricted to specific urban areas, there are limitations to generalizing the study results. Despite the limitations of these results, they can serve as baseline information for the understanding of consumers behavior toward hospital-based health promotion services.