Health literacy and its potential impacts on the wellbeing of patrons remains a highly regarded objective among health science and medical librarians when considering learning outcomes of patron communities. Librarians are positioned to champion literacy instruction activities in any setting.
This study examined health information seeking attitudes and behaviors in an academic-based employee wellness program before and after health literacy workshops. Using a quantitative approach to a quasi-experimental methodology, pre- and post-workshop tests collected baseline and completion health literacy indicators including preferred sources and handling practices of online health information.
Results indicated that most participants get health information from healthcare providers, websites, and organizations and rely on word-of-mouth referrals from friends, family, and colleagues when attempting to find information about a product, service, or provider with or without intervention. Workshops impacted information seeking behaviors as participants documented a decrease in social media and an increase in database usage afterwards.
More research is needed to confirm how these methods can impact larger and more diverse populations. Librarians should continue to develop and disseminate tools and methods aimed at engaging the public in constructive health information seeking practices.