# Influencing factors of maternal online health information-seeking behavior

## TL;DR

This study explores what influences mothers to seek health information online, using psychological models and survey data from 903 Chinese mothers.

## Contribution

A novel model combining ELM and TAM to analyze maternal online health information-seeking behavior and its influencing factors.

## Key findings

- Perceived usefulness explains 59.46% of the variance in online health information-seeking behavior.
- Anxiety mediates the relationship between maternal stress and information-seeking, accounting for 19.40% of the variance.
- Social support reduces the impact of maternal stress on anxiety.

## Abstract

As an important social group, mothers possess unique physiological and psychological characteristics. They may rely on Internet sources for obtaining health information about themselves and their children.

Based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the influencing factors model of maternal online health information searching behavior is constructed. We collect 903 valid sample data through the questionnaire survey in China. Using SPSS software to empirically analyze the influence of different influencing factors on maternal online health information searching behavior.

Perceived usefulness mediated between the Internet information quality and online health information-seeking behavior, accounting for 59.46% of the variance. Anxiety mediated between maternal stress and online health information-seeking behavior, accounting for 19.40% of the variance.

Internet information quality positively affected mothers’ perception of the usefulness of the information. Perceived usefulness and anxiety played a partial mediating role in the central and peripheral paths, respectively. Furthermore, social support effectively moderated the influence of maternal stress on their anxiety.