Online Health Information Seeking: Implications for Self-Management in Hypertension

Hypertension, a major cardiovascular disease risk factor, is a global public health challenge. Self-management is key, and with information and communication technology prevalence, online health information seeking behavior (OHISB) has become a common trend to boost patients' self-management.

This study aims to explore hypertensive patients' OHISB and their impact on self-management practices, providing a basis for further improving patients' OHISB and self-management behaviors.

This study selected 312 hypertensive patients from the Cardiology Department of a Wuhan tertiary hospital (March-April 2025), using a general information questionnaire, revised version of the Online Health seeking behavior Scale (OHB-S) and the Hypertension Patients Self-Management Behavior Rating Scale (HPSMBRS) for surveys. SPSS 26.0 did descriptive analysis of enumeration/measurement data; t-tests/ANOVA analyzed group differences; multiple linear regression examined OHISB-influencing factors; Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression explored relationships between OHISB and self-management.

The total scores of OHISB and self-management were (55.20±14.29) and (96.54±16.62) respectively in the patients. The total scores of OHISB and self-management were significantly positively correlated (r=0.634, P<0.05). The results of hierarchical regression analysis show that OHISB is an important influencing factor of self-management and can independently explain 21.2% of the variation in patients' self-management.

Both the OHISB and self-management behaviors of hypertensive patients are at a relatively low level. OHISB is an important influencing factor of self-management. Hypertensive patients with a higher level of OHISB have a higher level of self-management. In the future, information sources should be carefully controlled, and a variety of online health information channels should be combined to provide targeted online hypertension health education, thereby enhancing the self-management capabilities of hypertension patients.