Type 2 Diabetes: A Lifelong Information Seeking Process

This study explores the health information seeking behaviour of women with type 2 diabetes at least five years after the diagnosis. It asks: What is the role of information resources on diabetes in the lives of retired women with type 2 diabetes? How and where do they search for, encounter (including information grounds), and navigate or avoid information about diabetes, especially as they have already been managing their diabetes for several years? Data is collected using the Information Horizons Interview method on three participants between the ages of 55 and 65. Contrary to previous research that showed the information seeking of diabetics decreasing over time, this exploratory study finds that diabetes information seeking is a lifelong process. Participants developed similar habits with regard to source types, but their individual source preferences are influenced by direct experience, rapport, accessibility, and the sources’ perceived reliability and authority