People behavioral during health information searching in COVID-19 era: a review

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in health information-seeking behavior (HISB) on the Internet. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to identify and synthesize the available evidence on health information-seeking behavior on the Internet during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Electronic search of databases was conducted on PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Taylor and Francis Online to identify relevant articles. Studies that examined health information-seeking behavior on the Internet during or after the COVID-19 pandemic were included. Data from the included studies were subjected to a thematic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 355 articles were identified in the initial database search. After screening, 15 articles were included in this review paper, with a population of 33,326. Search engines, social media, and news portals were the most commonly used information sources. The primary motivators for seeking health information online were curiosity, catching up with updated information, and paying attention to the COVID-19 transmission. Participants’ satisfaction with the information obtained online was positive in most studies. The online query for all items related to COVID-19 and health increased during the pandemic. The most searched topics were symptoms of COVID-19, restrictions, current prevalence/spread of COVID-19, and preventive measures. Higher scores in digital health literacy (DHL) were associated with a well-established and effective health information-seeking behavior. CONCLUSION: The findings of this review provide insight into the patterns and trends of health information-seeking behavior on the Internet during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The results suggest that search engines, social media, and news portals remain key sources of information during the pandemic. It also assessed the relationship between the DHL and the HISB and found that having a good DHL generally meant a good HISB.