Determinants of information behaviour and information literacy related to healthy eating among Internet users in five European countries

INTRODUCTION: This study investigates how Europeans seek information related to healthy eating, what determines their information seeking and whether any problems are encountered in doing so. METHOD: A survey was administered through computer assisted online webi nterviewing. Respondents were grouped by age and sex (n=3003, age +16) in Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Poland, and the UK. ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to analyse the influence of social, demographic, psychological and economic characteristics on the information seeking of the respondents. RESULTS: Nearly half of those surveyed do not know where to look for information on healthy diets. Men, less well educated, poorer and sicker person know less about where to look for such information and are less likely to attempt finding it. Most of the respondents searching for information on the Internet use Google as a search tool. CONCLUSIONS: Individual and environmental factors affect information behaviour and should be taken into account in public campaigns aimed at changing eating habits of the population to increase their effectiveness. More emphasis should be placed on raising health information literacy of the information poor, men, the uneducated, and the economically disadvantaged.