Online Health Information Seeking Behavior Among Young Adults: A scoping review

Young adults crave trustworthy, accessible health info online, but research gaps hinder public health efforts to empower healthy choices in a digital world.

Introduction: The availability of accurate health information and the ability to navigate online sources play a crucial role in empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their physical and mental well-being. With the integration of the internet, portable technology, and social media, young adults (≥ 18) have increasingly relied on digital platforms for accessing health-related information. However, there is still a need for a systematic overview explicitly investigating young adults’ online health information-seeking behavior (OHISB).

Objective: This scoping review aims to understand young adults` OHISB and answer three research questions: 1) Identifying studies on young adults’ online health information-seeking behavior, 2) Determining which digital platforms young adults tend to search for health information, 3) Identifying characteristics in the user interface that apply to young adults' aims and trust.

Methods: An initial literature search, followed by a comprehensive search, was performed in December 2023 in the following databases: Embase, Web of Science, and SCOPUS. The final search identified 4634 publications, resulting in 912 publications obtained for screening, after removing duplicates. 54 articles met the inclusion criteria. To identify common themes related to the research question, qualitative content analysis was performed.

Results: The results from previous studies indicate that young adults use two main types of online approaches: search engines and social media. Hereby, they retrieve health information from five types of internet-based sources. Moreover, the results reveal six categories of impact factors identifying characteristics in user interface and platform design having an impact on younger adults searching for health information. Based on young adults expressed needs, the categories are proposed as six characteristics: 1) credible content from trusted professionals, 2) usability and user-friendly design, 3) tailored language, 4) web 2.0., 5) privacy, and 6) inclusivity.

Conclusion: The review reveals that young adults` OHISB is not sufficiently investigated. Being a field in progress in a changing digital environment, the vast majority of the publications have become rapidly outdated. The findings suggest that more studies are needed to understand young adults` OHISB to better support health-promoting decisions. Based on the results, the review proposes multiple objectives for future studies, including elaboration on young adults' OHISB and the AI context, facilitating younger adults` health literacy regarding health information, and more investigation on the OHISB of young adults in vulnerable positions and their expressed needs.

Protocol: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-074894