Integrated ACE Model for Consumer Health Information Needs: A Content Analysis of Questions in Yahoo! Answers

摘要

Consumer Health Information (CHI) seeking on the Internetis becoming more popular, yet very complex as SocialQ&A services emerge. Health information needs occur atvarious stages of health and illness. In response to the needto ensure that information provision is effective fromprevention and treatment, this study attempted to uncoverhow health information seekers articulate their informationneeds. In this study, 440 health-related questions in Yahoo!Answers were first pre-identified into eight progressivestages of health information seeking. Each question wastreated as an information seeking activity, and content ofthe question was considered as health information needs.Through analyzing questions in action, cognition, andemotion dimensions inspired by Kuhlthau’s InformationSeeking Process model, each question was further coded toreflect the nature of clarity, urgency, and length ofinformation needs articulation. The findings uncover thefact that CHI seeking is multi-tasking and non-liner, and theway information seekers articulate the health informationneeds changes over the stages of health status. This studymay inform consumer health information providers indesigning services that may address the time-sensitivenature of CHI seeking.