Health Information Seeking Among Singaporeans: Roles and Collective Contexts.
This article seeks to contribute to the literature on health information seeking (HIS) by culturally locating the search for health information within the local contexts of everyday life in Singapore, and within the meaning-making processes that individuals participate in. Based on in-depth interviews with 100 participants selected through stratified sampling, it asks: How do Singaporeans make sense of HIS in the realm of their everyday lived experiences? The study contributes to the literature on the roles familial ties play in information gathering and sharing in a collective context. More importantly, these familial ties provide perspective on the ways in which culture spatio-temporally constitutes HIS. HIS is informed by familial role expectations in a collectivist context where filial piety and "respect for the elderly" are guiding anchors for behavior. Moreover, harmony and community well-being define societal roles and responsibilities of caregiving, directed broadly at communal care. These collective-oriented contexts therefore inform HIS.
a Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation, Department of Communications and New Media , National University of Singapore.
Mohan Jyoti
MJ
Dutta
a Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation, Department of Communications and New Media , National University of Singapore.
Satveer
S
Kaur
a Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation, Department of Communications and New Media , National University of Singapore.
Pauline
P
Luk
a Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation, Department of Communications and New Media , National University of Singapore.
Julian
J
Lin
a Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation, Department of Communications and New Media , National University of Singapore.
Seow Ting
ST
Lee
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005006:Ethnicity; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D058015:Health Communication; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012846:Singapore