title: The Prevalence of Internet and Social Media Based Medication Information Seeking Behavior in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: The internet has become an important resource to help people search for online medication information. This study aims to report the prevalence and profile of Saudi online medication seeking behavior. Conducted via a web-based survey with Twitter participants between January-February, 2015, the primary outcome measures were the self-reported rates of using the internet to search for medication related information. A valid sample of 4847 participants was collected over the period of the study. Out of the total participants, 68.3% (n=3311) were found to seek online medication related information frequently. Most of the social media users were female 83.5% (n=2766). The majority of respondents 63.6% (n= 3081) used Google, followed by Twitter 28.7% (n= 1392), Snapchat 21%, (n=1019), WhatsApp 13.8% (n= 670), Instagram 11.4%, (n= 553), and Facebook 5.5 % (n= 267), with few searching YouTube 1.3% (n=65) to access online medication information. Findings indicate that the Saudi population actively uses the internet and social media to obtain medication information. Further studies are needed to explore the influence of the internet and social media on user perception, attitude, and behavior with the use of online medication information.
authors.affiliation: King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz University Hospital, Princess Nora University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Salwa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bahkali
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Suha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alfurih
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Maha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aldremly
authors.affiliation: Ibn Sina National College, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ma'an
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alzayyat
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alsurimi
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mowafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Househ
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D015995:Prevalence; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D061108:Social Media; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations