Exploring the use of internet by university students for seeking health related information

Internet is both a medium and a platform for information exchange. This characteristic of internet is gradually metamorphosing it into an e-learning enabler. A significant percentage of internet users access health-related information through the medium of internet, but little is known about the factors that determine such behaviour. This study aims to explore the factors that determine the behaviour of those seeking health-related information in the virtual world.

The present study analyses the role of perceived ease of usefulness (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), self-efficacy (SE) and information quality (IQ) on the intention (IU) of the internet users to seek health-related information. Researcher-controlled sampling was used for data collection from 210 university students. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), t-test and correlation have been used for data analysis.

The results of the study demonstrate that except SE, all other factors have a positive relationship with the intention of the users to seek health-related information. The findings suggest that PU and IQ overshadow PEOU in encouraging the users seeking such health-related information over the internet.

The present study extends the understanding of e-learning adoption associated with seeking health-related information. The researchers propose an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) model to study the factors influencing the use of internet in seeking health-related information by the students enrolled in medical and non-medical courses.