Exploring the determinants of health information avoidance behavior: A perspective from the stimulus organism response (SOR) Model

Abstract

The study aimed to measure and validate the stimulus organism response (SOR) theory among university students, as well as to identify the key factors that predict health information avoidance behavior and its impact on poor health outcomes. A six-factor (information overload, risk perception, health information anxiety, sadness, health information avoidance behavior, and poor health outcomes) estimated model was used to study the health information avoidance behavior by using structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings of the study showed that INO had positive significant influence on HAX (? = .144, CR = 4.659, p < 0.05), and HAV behavior (? = .068, CR = 2.504, p < 0.05). Similarly, RIP had positive significant influence on HAX (? = .152, CR = 5.023, p < 0.05) and SDN (? = .136, CR = 4.235, p < 0.05). Moreover, HAX (? = .169, CR = 5.470, p < 0.05) and SDN (? = .073, CR = 2.669, p < 0.05) had a positive significant influence on HAV. Furthermore, HAV significantly influenced PHO (? = .080, CR = 2.512, p < 0.05). However, RIP had a positive but statistically non-significant influence on HAV (? = .005, CR = 0.194, p > 0.05). The results of the study conclude that information overload, health information anxiety and sadness are the significant factors of health information avoidance behavior, whereas risk perception is the non-significant factor of health information avoidance behavior. Our study highlights that by improving individuals’ health literacy skills can be helpful in coping avoidance behavior. Our study advances the SOR framework by underlining its applicability to assess university students’ health information avoidance behavior and its negative impact on individuals’ health.