Latifi Masoomeh, Alishan Karami Nader, Miraj Sepideh, Allahbakhshian Leili, Rahimi Forough, Karbasi Afsaneh
Deputy of Research and Technology, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Health Information Technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2025 Jul 24;30(4):544-552. doi: 10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_27_24. eCollection 2025 Jul-Aug.
Understanding the health information behavior of menopausal women can be effective on their health awareness and improving self-care and preventive health practices. This study aimed to gain deeper insights into the health information-seeking behavior of Iranian menopausal women.
This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023. Data were collected over 2 months, from June 15 to August 15, 2023. The participants were Iranian women aged 50 years and older at the time of the survey. An online questionnaire was developed and distributed through social media to assess the health information-seeking behavior of menopausal women. A total of 4,608 women, selected through cluster sampling, completed the questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS-23 software using the Chi-square test.
The primary information needs of women during menopause were related to cancer, other diseases, and diagnostic methods. In addition, social networks and friends were the most commonly used information sources among menopausal women. The main barriers to accessing information were the lack of knowledge about information sources, difficulties in obtaining accurate and reliable information, and insufficient information across various sources.
The findings of this study indicated that women required various types of information, particularly regarding cancers, clinical symptoms of menopause, and nonhormonal treatments. Given the increasing use of social networks, training can be conducted through these platforms and further efforts are necessary to provide more reliable and comprehensive information via these media.
了解更年期女性的健康信息行为对提高她们的健康意识、改善自我护理和预防性健康行为具有重要意义。本研究旨在更深入地了解伊朗更年期女性的健康信息寻求行为。
本描述性分析横断面研究于2023年开展。数据收集历时2个月，从2023年6月15日至8月15日。研究对象为调查时年龄在50岁及以上的伊朗女性。通过社交媒体发放一份在线问卷，以评估更年期女性的健康信息寻求行为。通过整群抽样选取了4608名女性完成问卷。使用SPSS - 23软件进行卡方检验分析数据。
更年期女性的主要信息需求与癌症、其他疾病及诊断方法相关。此外，社交网络和朋友是更年期女性最常用的信息来源。获取信息的主要障碍包括对信息来源缺乏了解、难以获得准确可靠的信息以及各来源信息不足。
本研究结果表明，女性需要各类信息，尤其是关于癌症、更年期临床症状及非激素治疗方面的信息。鉴于社交网络的使用日益增多，可通过这些平台开展培训，且有必要进一步努力通过这些媒介提供更可靠、全面的信息。
