Bridging the health information gap among undergraduate university students: The role of academic libraries.

Abstract

Background: Although university students are young and seem generally healthy, they do have health information needs that affect their academic work. Some university healthcare services and academic libraries collaborated during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide health information to students.

Aims/objectives: The study explored the health information gap among undergraduate students in universities in Ghana.

Methodology: The study involved 382 students from the University of Cape Coast, the University of Ghana, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, including nine librarians and six university health professionals. Respondents for the study were chosen using stratified sampling and purposeful sampling techniques. A questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide were used to collect the data.

Results: The study revealed limited access to health information for undergraduate students. Male and female students had similar high priorities (personal hygiene, disease prevention, healthy living, mental health) but reproductive health information was mostly a priority for female students.

Discussion: Inadequate access to health information among undergraduate students may pose a threat to avoidable health risks and academic productivity.

Conclusion: Based on the findings, a functional Collaborative Health Information Model for Academic Libraries and University Healthcare Systems is proposed to address undergraduate students' health information needs.