Linking Health Risk Information Seeking and Health Behavioral Intentions

Abstract

This study investigates if people can vary in their seeking of health information depending on their health-related orientations, which are affected by perceived health-related risks. The results suggest perceived health risk has a positive impact on disease-prevention information seeking and disease prevention behaviors whereas it negatively affects health-promotion information seeking and has no impact on intentions to perform health promotion behaviors. People seeking disease prevention information showed greater likelihood to perform disease prevention behaviors without intentions to perform health promotion behaviors. However, people seeking health promotion information only had positive intentions to perform health promotion behaviors irrespective of disease prevention behaviors.