Interacting with health information for self-care: A pilot study exploring undergraduates' health information literacy

This poster presents findings from a dissertation pilot study of how undergraduate students apply their knowledge and skills to find, evaluate, and use health information for self-care. The study employed Dervin’s sense-making theory and examined to what extent undergraduate students demonstrate health information literacy (HIL) knowledge and skills within the context of seeking and using health information for self-care. It utilized a three-phase design: (a) a survey, (b) an interview, and (c) a follow-up observational study. Based on purposive sampling, 34 undergraduates at Florida State University participated in the survey, and eight of them were selected as participants for the interview and the observational study. The study results showed major barriers students encountered and strategies they used in various situations when seeking and evaluating information for self-care. This study has implications for designing more effective college health promotion programs and developing objective HIL assessment instruments in the context of health information seeking and use.The Graduate School, Florida State Universitypublished or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe