Online health information seeking behaviours of parents of children undergoing surgery in a pediatric hospital in Rome, Italy: a survey.Ital J Pediatr. 2020;46:141. [PMID: 32993748 DOI: 10.1186/s13052-020-00884-7]

Antecedents of self-protective behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

CONTEXT

Self-protective behavior (SPB) plays a significant role in controlling the spread of infection of a pandemic like coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Little research has been conducted to examine critical factors influencing SPB, especially in a developing country like Bangladesh.

AIMS

This study aimed to develop and test a theoretical model based on the extended information-motivation-behavior (IMB) skills model to investigate factors associated with SPB among Bangladeshi people.

METHODS

An online, cross-sectional survey was conducted on Bangladesh citizens (18 years and older) from June 1 and July 31, 2020. A total of 459 responses were used to assess the proposed model's overall fit and test the hypothesized relationships among the model constructs.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED

The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling to identify relationships among model variables.

RESULTS

Health information-seeking behavior, health motivation, self-efficacy, and health consciousness (HC) (P < 0.05) had a significant impact on SPB among Bangladeshi people. The results identified the consequences of various degrees of HC on SPB in the COVID-19 outbreak.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirms the IMB model's applicability for analyzing SPB among people in developing countries like Bangladesh. The findings of this study could guide policymakers to develop and implement targeted strategies to ensure timely and transparent information for motivating people to improve SPB during the COVID-19 and in case of a future outbreak of an epidemic.

Influence of education and residence on the parental search for pediatric surgical information on the internet

BACKGROUND

The internet is a valuable tool for access to health-related information. There is limited literature regarding its use by parents of children with surgical conditions.

AIM

To investigate internet usage by parents seeking information about the surgical conditions of their offspring in relation to epidemiological factors such as family residential area and parental educational level and to subsequently review the literature regarding this topic.

METHODS

An anonymous questionnaire about internet usage was completed by eligible parents of children who were admitted to our clinic for minor surgical procedures during a six-month period.

RESULTS

Our results demonstrated that the internet has been mostly used by mothers for children’s health information. Google was the most commonly used search engine, while pediatricians were the first parental choice for ‘live’ information. Only one-quarter of the parents informed their doctor about the information found online. Nine of ten parents had a positive opinion of an official website managed by the doctors of our clinic. Our results mostly agreed with the international literature.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the establishment of official websites (designed and managed by specialists) that parents can access to receive appropriate health information is mandatory in the internet era.