Awareness and Online Health Information Needs of Students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka

Authors

  • Ngozi Perpetua Osuchukwu Department of Lbrary and Information Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Nigeria
  • Ugochi Iruoma Egwuonwu Department of Lbrary and Information Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Nigeria
  • Ibrahim Shehu Abdullahi Library, Kebbi State Polytechnic Dakingari, Kebbi State

Keywords:

Awareness, online health information, information needs,Students, Nnamdi Azikiwe University

Abstract

The paper examined the awareness, online health information needs of students  of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. It adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population was 131 undergraduate students of Library & Information Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The instrument used in data collection was an online survey. The findings revealed that the awareness of students about online health information was high. The major online health information needs were causes of diseases, symptoms, spread, treatment, preventive measures. They sourced the online health information from the Internet/social media, websites, databases, search engines and university portal. Challenges encountered in accessing online health information included the high cost of data, information overload, poor internet network, lack of wifi, erratic power supply and inability to identify relevant online health information. The study concluded that increased awareness and the  provision of relevant online health information to meet health information  needs are critical to enabling  sustainable global health. The study recommended strategic awareness approaches and online health information provision as a panacea to support a healthy society.

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Published

2024-09-15