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Health-related online information seeking and behavioral outcomes: Fatalism and self-efficacy as mediators

  • Western Illinois University
  • Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Abstract

We explored the mediation effect of cognitive factors on the relationship between cancer-related online information seeking and cancer-preventative behaviors. Using data obtained from the National Cancer Institute’s 2013 Health Information National Trends Survey (N = 2,896), we performed structural equation modeling and demonstrated that online information seeking about cancer did not decrease users’ cancer fatalism; however it elevated users’ level of self-efficacy. Moreover, the findings show that cancer-related information seeking indirectly influenced cancer-preventative behaviors via self-efficacy, and individuals’ level of self-efficacy significantly mediated the association between fatalistic beliefs and cancer-preventative behaviors. The results call for attention to cognitive mediators in explaining the relationship between online information seeking and related behaviors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)871-879
Number of pages9
JournalSocial Behavior and Personality
Volume46
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

  • Cancer information seeking on the Internet
  • Cancer-preventative behavior
  • Fatalistic belief
  • Self-efficacy

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