The role of social support and social networks in health information–seeking behavior among Korean Americans: a qualitative study

International Journal for Equity in Health

Research

Cha-Nam Shin¹  Wonsun Kim¹  Gary L Kreps² 

[1] College of Nursing & Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA;Department of Communication, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA;

关键词: Health information;    Health disparities;    Social support;    Social networks;    Korean Americans;    Immigrants;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12939-015-0169-8

 received in 2014-10-29, accepted in 2015-04-15,  发布年份 2015

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionThis study used social network theory to explore the role of social support and social networks in health information–seeking behavior among Korean American (KA) adults.MethodsA descriptive qualitative study using a web-based online survey was conducted from January 2013 to April 2013 in the U.S. The survey included open-ended questions about health information–seeking experiences in personal social networks and their importance in KA adults. Themes emerging from a constant comparative analysis of the narrative comments by 129 of the 202 respondents were analyzed.ResultsThe sample consisted of 129 KA adults, 64.7% female, with a mean age of 33.2 (SD = 7.7). Friends, church members, and family members were the important network connections for KAs to obtain health information. KAs looked for a broad range of health information from social network members, from recommendations and reviews of hospitals/doctors to specific diseases or health conditions. These social networks were regarded as important for KAs because there were no language barriers, social network members had experiences similar to those of other KAs, they felt a sense of belonging with those in their networks, the network connections promoted increased understanding of different health care systems of the U.S. system, and communication with these network connections helped enhance feelings of being physically and mentally healthy.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the important role that social support and personal social networks perform in the dissemination of health information for a large ethnic population, KAs, who confront distinct cultural challenges when seeking health information in the U.S. Data from this study also illustrate the cultural factors that influence health information acquisition and access to social support for ethnic minorities. This study provides practical insights for professionals in health information services, namely, that social networks can be employed as a channel for disseminating health information to immigrants.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Kim et al.; licensee BioMed Central. 2015