The association between digital health information acquisition and health-seeking behavior among university students

This study aimed to examine the associations of digital health information acquisition (based on Web 1.0 and Web 2.0) and digital verification behavior with health-seeking behavior among university students.

This cross-sectional study was conducted between February and March 2026 among 302 university students selected using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected through face-to-face questionnaires administered in classroom settings. The survey consisted of a Personal Information Form, the Digital Health Information Acquisition and Verification Scale, and the Health-Seeking Behavior Scale. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26 software. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics and study variables. Pearson correlation and regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations among the study variables and their contributions to health-seeking behavior.

The findings indicate that there is a positive and significant relationship between digital health information acquisition and verification levels and health-seeking behavior (r = .422; p < .001). The results of the simple regression analysis revealed that digital health information acquisition and verification was significantly associated with health-seeking behavior (R² = 0.178; p < .001). According to the hierarchical regression results, Web 1.0-based health information acquisition emerged as the strongest predictor of health-seeking behavior. Although Web 2.0-based information acquisition and digital verification contributed significantly to the model, their incremental contributions to explained variance were relatively small (final model R² = 0.206; p < .001).

Digital health information acquisition and digital verification behavior were significantly associated with health-seeking behavior among university students. The findings suggest that access to digital health information and the tendency to verify information may be related to health-seeking behavior. However, the explanatory power of the model was modest. In addition, the ability to critically evaluate and verify information may play a supportive role in health-related decision-making in digital environments, although its unique contribution to explaining health-seeking behavior was relatively modest.