{"id":1520,"date":"2026-08-04T16:47:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T16:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/portfolio\/information-behaviour-ii-health-information-behaviour\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T13:28:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T13:28:03","slug":"information-behaviour-ii-health-information-behaviour","status":"publish","type":"academic_item","link":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/portfolio\/information-behaviour-ii-health-information-behaviour\/","title":{"rendered":"Information Behaviour II: Health Information Behaviour"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
Institution<\/dt>\n
\u00c5bo Akademi University<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Programme<\/dt>\n
International Master\u2019s Programme in Governance of Digitalisation<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Level<\/dt>\n
Master\u2019s level<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Teaching language<\/dt>\n
English<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Last taught<\/dt>\n
Spring 2024<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Prerequisite<\/dt>\n
Information Behaviour I<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n<\/dl>\n
\n

Course description<\/h2>\n

This course section examines how personal, social and contextual factors shape health-information-seeking behaviour. It considers the barriers and facilitators that affect how people search for, receive, evaluate and use health information.<\/p>\n

The section introduces theoretical models used to study health information behaviour, including the Health Belief Model, the Longo health information model and the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Learning outcomes<\/h2>\n

After completing the section, students should be able to:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • explain the concept of health information behaviour;<\/li>\n
  • identify personal and contextual influences on information seeking;<\/li>\n
  • distinguish between barriers and facilitators in health-information-seeking processes;<\/li>\n
  • describe major models of health information behaviour;<\/li>\n
  • compare the assumptions and purposes of different theoretical models;<\/li>\n
  • apply an appropriate model to a practical case;<\/li>\n
  • analyse health information services from a user perspective; and<\/li>\n
  • reflect critically on the relationship between information, health beliefs and health action.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Course content<\/h2>\n
      \n
    • Health information needs<\/li>\n
    • Health-information-seeking behaviour<\/li>\n
    • Internal and external influences on information behaviour<\/li>\n
    • Barriers to accessing and using health information<\/li>\n
    • Facilitators of health information seeking<\/li>\n
    • Health beliefs and perceived susceptibility<\/li>\n
    • Health Belief Model<\/li>\n
    • Longo health information model<\/li>\n
    • Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking<\/li>\n
    • Application of models to health information services<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
      \n

      Teaching and learning methods<\/h2>\n

      Students receive recorded lectures, presentation materials and selected academic readings. Learning activities include group discussion, application of models, peer feedback and reflective learning diaries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

      \n

      Assessment<\/h2>\n

      Assessment is based on:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • active participation in group discussions;<\/li>\n
      • engagement with assigned readings;<\/li>\n
      • feedback on the contributions of other students; and<\/li>\n
      • reflection on learning through a course diary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Health-information-seeking behaviour, personal and contextual influences, and major theoretical models.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"had_date":"2024-01-01","had_date_precision":"day","had_venue":"\u00c5bo Akademi University","had_authors":"Hamed Ahmadinia \u00b7 Course syllabus","had_external_url":"","had_doi":"","had_citation":"","had_meta_label":"Master\u2019s level \u00b7 taught in 2022, 2023 and 2024","had_amount":"Course section","had_location":"Turku, Finland","had_topic":"Course design and teaching","had_field":"Health information behaviour; Information seeking","had_method":"","had_data_source":"","had_participants":"","had_platform":"Teaching Portfolio and Pedagogical Practice","had_level":"Master\u2019s level","had_publisher":"","had_language":"English","had_jufo":"","had_institution":"\u00c5bo Akademi University","had_students":"0","had_credits":"0","had_format":"Course Syllabus","had_city":"","had_latitude":"0","had_longitude":"0","had_quantity":"3","had_amount_eur":"0","had_currency":"EUR","had_country":"","had_project_id":"","had_teaching_portfolio_role":"syllabus","had_featured":false,"had_news_effect":"global","footnotes":""},"tags":[340,339,306,124,134],"academic_type":[111],"class_list":["post-1520","academic_item","type-academic_item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-abo-akademi","tag-health-belief-model","tag-health-information","tag-information-behaviour","tag-information-seeking","academic_type-teaching-experience"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/academic_item\/1520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/academic_item"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/academic_item"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1520"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/academic_item\/1520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1975,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/academic_item\/1520\/revisions\/1975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1520"},{"taxonomy":"academic_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ahmadinia.fi\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/academic_type?post=1520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}