This study investigated personal information behavior and information needs that 21 adults managing life with Type 2 diabetes identify explicitly and implicitly during discussions of item acquisition and use of health information items that are kept in their homes. Research drew upon a naturalistic lens, in that semi-structured interviews were conducted in participants' homes. The rich narratives provide insights into situational relevance associated with kept health information items, the uses thereof, and stated information needs. The descriptions of situational relevance were analyzed for themes of information keeping and use in context, as well as expressions of information need that were implicit to participants' situations. The study and its pre-test were conducted in a mid-sized city in the Southeast from April to September 2011. All pre-test (n = 3) and study participants were recruited from diabetes education classes, conducted at a diabetes center associated with a teaching hospital. The study participants were 38-79 years old (mean = 60 years, SD = 9.5) and the majority of participants were female (n = 15, 71%), white/Caucasian (n = 17, 81%), employed (n = 13, 62%), married (n = 11, 52%), insured (n = 18, 86%), and new to diabetes (diagnosis < 3 months n = 15, 71%). Participants kept 706 items in the home, but only a subset (n = 300) were used to manage life with Type 2 diabetes. The interviews focused on these kept and used items to guide the study, similar to the notion of critical incident, to address questions of personal context, information needs, and item uses. Results showed that participants primarily kept and used paper-based items, but digital items, e.g., bookmarked websites, were also used. Results also show that the categories found in literature for `Item Type' and for `Item Use' required expansion. Findings also revealed that individuals with Type 2 diabetes may keep and use health information items to manage life with diabetes within four primary contexts: activity, adjustment, challenge of living with diabetes, and emotion. Analysis of information keeping and use in context showed that kept information items, when examined within a lens of situational relevance, can provide insight into information needs that individuals with Type 2 diabetes may not readily identify. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Library and Information Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2013. / April 25, 2013. / health information technology, information behavior, information needs, Type 2
diabetes / Includes bibliographical references. / Melissa Gross, Professor Directing Dissertation; Ron Goldsmith, University Representative; Gary Burnett, Committee Member; Mia Liza Lustria, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_183936 |
| Contributors | Whetstone, Melinda (authoraut), Gross, Melissa (professor directing dissertation), Goldsmith, Ron (university representative), Burnett, Gary (committee member), Lustria, Mia Liza (committee member), School of Library and Information Studies (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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