Healthy lifestyle during pregnancy: Uncovering the role of online health information seeking experience

Abstract

In the new era, many people seek their health-related information through the Internet due to the increasing access to this technology. Searching online health information can affect the health behavior. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between online health information-seeking behavior and a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy in a sample of Iranian pregnant women. This cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women admitted to health centers of Eghlid city, Fars province, Iran in 2019. A total of 193 women participated in the study. The required data were gathered using two validated questionnaires to measure the online health information-seeking behavior and the healthy lifestyle practices of the participants. The collected data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient using SPSS version 22. Online health information experience and its subscales showed no statistical correlation with a healthy lifestyle. Age and education did not correlate with online health information-seeking behavior. Age had a statistical correlation with a healthy lifestyle, but education had the same correlation only with some subscales of a healthy lifestyle. The findings were surprising, suggesting that online health information-seeking behavior does not affect the lifestyle of pregnant women. These finding and probable explanations are discussed, but due to the limited literature on the subject, further studies are recommended to be conducted.