ARTICLE INFO

Article Type

Descriptive & Survey Study

Authors

Tavousi   M. (1)
Mohammadi   S. (2)
Sadighi   J. (1)
Rostami   R. (1)
Haerimehrizi   A.A. (*1)






(*1) Health Metrics Research Center, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
(1) Health Metrics Research Center, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
(1) Health Metrics Research Center, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
(1) Health Metrics Research Center, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
(2) Public Health Department, Public Health and Safety Faculty, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran

Correspondence

Address: Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, No. 23, Vahid Nazari Street, South Palestine Street, Enghelab Street, Tehran, Iran.
Phone: +98 (21) 66480804
Fax: +98 (21) 66480805
a.haeri@acecr.ac.ir

Article History

Received:   August  28, 2018
Accepted:   February 20, 2019
ePublished:   June 20, 2019

ABSTRACT

Aims Many information sources, including mass media, are trying to play an important role in health-promoting of people in society through increasing their health information. The aim of the present study was to investigate the rate of use of health information, presented in mass media and virtual social networks among citizens of Tehran.
Instrument & Methods This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 1196 citizens of Tehran aged 18-65 years old in 2016. The subjects were selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire after assessment of its validity and reliability. Data were analyzed by SPSS 19 software, using appropriate descriptive statistical methods.
Findings 1,196 citizens of Tehran (581 women and 615 men) were studied in this research with a mean age of 37.2±13.2 years old. The highest use of media health information was about television (about 81%), internet (about 64%) and the print media (about 58%). The use of health information in virtual social networks was about 56%. The use of health information of mass media and virtual social networks in the age group of 24 to 35 years old, married, the group with 13 years of education and workers were more than other groups.
Conclusion The rate of use of television health information among citizens of Tehran is significant. Also, Internet search and social networking sites for health information should be taken into consideration by health care providers.


CITATION LINKS

[1]Hatami H, Razavi M, Eftekhar Ardebili H, Majlesi F. Textbook of public health. Volume 2. 2nd Edition. Tehran: Arjmand; 2015. [Persian]
[2]Hardey M. Doctor in the house: the internet as a source of lay health knowledge and the challenge to expertise. Sociol Health Illness. 1999;21(6):820-35.
[3]Bigdeli Z, Hayati Z, Heidari GR, Jowkar T. Place of internet in health information seeking behavior: case of young internet users in Shiraz. Hum Inf Interact. 2016;3(1):68-78. [Persian]
[4]Rains SA. Perceptions of traditional information sources and use of the world wide web to seek health information: findings from the health information national trend survey. J Health Commun. 2007;12(7):667-80.
[5]Razavi Tousi SM, Azar Homayoon R, Yahak S, Gholamipour E. Developing health and medical messages in the media and its impact on people's awareness. Bioeth J. 2009;3(8):43-77. [Persian]
[6]World Health Organization. Health promotion: Jakarta Declaration on Leading Health Promotion into the 21st Century [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1997 [cited 2018 July 09]. Available from: https://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/jakarta/declaration/en/
[7]International Research Institutes .Global health survey, 2011. Experience & perception in 28 countries [Internet]. Amsterdam: International Research Institutes; 2012 [cited 2018 July 09]. Available from: https://slideplayer.com/slide/5977773/
[8]Bigdeli Z, Azimi MH, Zarea F. Investigating factors affecting health information search on the web by women working in water and electricity organization in Khuzestan. Lib Inf Sci. 2012;15(1):165-84. [Persian]
[9]Shiani M, Sepahvand E. Media and citizenship: Study of relation between using media (especially radio and television considering knowledge about citizen rights in case studying of Khorramabad). J Cult Stud Commun. 2015;11(38):187-223. [Persian]
[10]Mosavi S, Rad F. The relationship between how to use the media and the lifestyle of Tabriz citizens. J Sociol Stud. 2015;8(28):25-39. [Persian]
[11]Kim J, Jung E. Associations between media use and health information-seeking behavior on vaccinations in South Korea. BMC Public Health. 2017;17(1):700.
[12]Aghaei A, Khalili Meybodi M. Factors related to the usage of the medias medical programs by the audience. J Medi Counc Iran. 2014;32(1):19-26. [Persian]
[13]Perrin A. Social Networking Usage: 2005-2015 [Internet]. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center; 2015 [cited 2018 July 09]. Available from: https://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/08/social-networking-usage-2005-2015/
[14]Villanti AC, Johnson AL, Ilakkuvan V, Jacobs MA, Graham AL, Rath JM. Social media use and access to digital technology in US young adults in 2016. J Med Internet Res. 2017;19(6):e196.
[15]Yi RHP, Rezende LF, Huynh J, Kramer K, Cranmer M, Schlager L, et al. XRAYS (eXamining Relevance of Articles to Young Survivors) program survey of information needs and media use by young breast cancer survivors and young women at high-risk for breast cancer. Health Commun.2018;33(12):1525-30.
[16]Smith D. Health care consumer's use and trust of health information sources. J Commun Healthcare. 2011;4(3):200-10.
[17]Ebadifard Azar F, Barati A, Mousavianpour MK. Information resources of highschool boys of AIDS in Tehran. J Qazvin Univ Med Sci. 2004;8(1):56-63. [Persian]
[18]Burzyńska J, Binkowska-Bury M, Januszewicz P. Television as a source of information on health and illness – review of benefits and problems. Prog Health Sci. 2015;5(2):174-84.
[19]Giordano L, Leafman J, Citrin D, Wallace L. Cancer information-seeking practices among the hispanic population: Data from the health information national trends survey 2007. Hisp Health Care Int. 2015;13(2):70-6
[20]Shea-Budgell MA, Kostaras X, Myhill KP, Hagen NA. Information needs and sources of information for patients during cancer follow-up. Curr Oncol. 2014;21(4):165-73.
[21]Huerta TR, Walker DM, Johnson T, Ford EW. A time series analysis of cancer-related information seeking: Hints from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 2003-2014. J Health Commun. 2016; 21(9):1031-8.