Single Episodes of Health Information Seeking, Scanning, and Avoidance: Findings of an Experience Sampling Methods Study of German Residents Suffering From Acute or Chronic Illness

Health information behaviors are situational and dynamic in nature. Being confronted with illness-related uncertainty in a specific situation, certain individuals might consistently or temporarily seek, scan, or avoid information and combine these strategies. Relying on an Experience Sampling Method Design study repeatedly querying N = 383 acutely or chronically ill individuals, the study provides a situational view on health information behaviors describing single episodes, distinguishing the “trait” and “state” components of information behaviors, and the between- and within-person relationship between information behaviors. Bayesian multilevel models illustrated that and how health information behaviors consisting of a stable trait and temporal state component were adjusted in certain situations. The manifestations of information seeking, scanning, and avoidance share tangible aspects but differ in the issues of relevance as well as the sources selected. Their relationship suggests their distinct nature as negatively related behaviors.