This study investigated access and use of information in the health-care of home-based elderly people
(EPs) in Nakuru District, Kenya. The literature review revealed a gap with respect to information
behaviour in health-care of EPs in a development context. The researcher used qualitative methods;
with exploratory and descriptive research design because the focus of the study was on the littleknown
and socially disadvantaged community of EPs in Nakuru District. Respondents were sampled
by using the snowball technique. At the end of an interview session, each respondent was encouraged
to nominate someone who either shared the same or had different experiences, views, socio-economic
levels and gender. The researcher collected data through face-to-face interviews with EPs, informal
care providers (ICPs) and formal health-care providers (FHCPs), in order to gain insight of
information behaviour in health-care of EPs, by focusing on aspects of information needs; sources;
use of information and factors that influence the respective groups of respondents to access and use
health-care information health-care of EPs. The findings showed that the respective groups of
respondents had similar as well as diversified needs for information for health-care. The groups used
both formal and informal sources of information and channels of communication to access
information for health-care, with FHCPs using authoritative sources more than the EPs and ICPs.
Factors such as being a professional or a lay person, cost, ease of accessibility, availability of sources
and channels of communication, time and trustworthiness of a source or channel of communication
determined preference for use of information. The major contribution of the study is to the theory
about information behaviour: some EPs and ICPs used CAM services without informing FHCPs,
thereby revealing a form of concealed information use behaviour (CIUB). / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:umkn-dsp01.int.unisa.ac.za:10500/4784 |
| Date | 07 1900 |
| Creators | Khayesi, Marie K. (Marie Khanyanji) |
| Contributors | Meyer, Hester W. J., Machet, Myrna P., Otike, Japhet N. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (xviii, 268 leaves) |
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