Online health information seeking behaviors and self-reported health among Chinese university students: associations and sex differences

Abstract

Objectives: Aim to explore the associations and sex differences between online health information seeking behaviours (OHISBs) and self-reported health among university students. Methods: Cross-sectional, analytical study carried out in the 5,408 university students from Xinyang Normal University, who responded questionnaire in Wenjunxing as valid participants. t-tests and binary logistic regression analysis were performed using SPSS. Results: Sex differences in OHISBs were found. Females most liked food nutrition and diet-related OHI (p < 0.001), while males most liked physical exercise OHI (p < 0.001). For specific OHISBs, finding information about hospitals or doctors (OR = 1.785, [CI95% = 1.212–2.628], p < 0.01), and online reservation of health care projects (OR = 2.491, [CI95% = 1.056–5.876], p < 0.05) had significant impacts on females’ self-reported health, and finding information about hospitals or doctors (OR = 2.171, [CI95% = 1.035–4.551], p < 0.05) had a significant impact on males’ self-reported health. Conclusion: Findings of sex-differentiated online health seeking and the benefits of proactive search indicate that effective digital interventions for students must combine gender-specific strategies with behavioral empowerment.