Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the health information use experience of middle-aged people in their 40s and 50s and to observe and analyze their health information search behaviors according to health consciousness and health information orientation. This study uses Information Foraging Theory with the concept of information scents which leads users to detect and collect cues in information searching. Types and contents of information cues that middle-aged people use when searching for health information were investigated. Also, how their health consciousness and health information orientation affected using information cues were analyzed. Three methods of research were used; (1) pre-interviews, (2) search experiments, and (3) post-interviews. Thirty-two middle-aged people participated in the study. Their performance on health information searching was recorded and referred to in the post-interviews using a think-aloud protocol. Findings presented that middle-aged people’s health consciousness and health information orientation affected the perception of information scents in health information search; those with high health consciousness and health information orientation consider the text made by the government office the most critical information cues. We believe findings from this study could be used for public libraries or non-profit institutions to understand middle-aged people’s health information behaviors to design education programs for information retrieval considering users’ health consciousness and health information orientation. Findings could also contribute to Internet portal site or health-related web site designers developing strategies for middle-aged users to access health information effectively.