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A Health Belief Model Approach to Determining Psychological Predictors of Behavioral Intention to Seek Health Information on Social Media: Quantitative Descriptive Study

Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background The increasing use of social media as a source of health information has highlighted the need to understand the psychological factors influencing individuals’ intentions to seek health-related information online, particularly within the South African context. Objective This study aimed to determine the psychological predictors of behavioral intention (BI) to seek health information on social media within a developing South African context. Methods Adopting a positivist quantitative approach, data were collected from 214 social media users aged 18 to 35 years using a nonprobability convenience sample and analyzed through structural equation modeling using IBM SPSS and SmartPLS. Results The findings from the sample of 214 young adults showed that perceived susceptibility (β=0.189; P =.01), perceived severity (β=0.288; P =.001), health motivation (β=0.462; P <.001), perceived benefits (β=0.221; P =.02), and cues to action (β=0.281; P <.001) significantly increased users’ intentions to seek, verify, and share accurate health information. Self-efficacy had a significant negative effect on BI (β=−0.251; P =.008), whereas perceived barriers had no significant effect (β=−0.028, P =.65). Conclusions Based on these insights, the psychological predictors of BI to seek health information on social media within a South African context are proposed to support users in identifying and managing misinformation, offering practical implications for risk communication strategies and public health interventions.
DOI: 10.2196/98444
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $350
OpenAlex ID: W7172424515
FWCI:
Cites: 35
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Related to: 10