| This study developed and tested an extended model of seeking information about STDs and HIV/AIDS on the Internet among junior and senior college students in Taiwan. This model was derived from the perspectives of the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking (CMIS), Uses and Gratifications Theory, the Health Belief Model (HBM), Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), the Model of Media Exposure and Appraisal, the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), the Risk Information Seeking and Processing (RISP) Model, Media Dependency Theory, the Expectancy-Value Approach to Uses and Gratifications, and also perspectives relating to information-seeking behavior in a hypertext environment and different cultural settings.; The design for this study was a cross-sectional survey. To address the research questions and hypotheses proposed in this study, four hundred forty-four (448) junior and senior college students attending a university in southern Taiwan participated in from May 7 to 25, 2005.; Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the data set. The results revealed that sensation seeking, perceived susceptibility to STD and HIV/AIDS infection, perceived sufficiency of information about STDs and HIV/AIDS, and Internet self-efficacy positively and directly predicted intentions to seek information about STDs and HIV/AIDS on the Internet, while disease self-efficacy, information-seeking motives connected to Internet characteristics, information-seeking motives connected to information about STDs and HIV/AIDS on the Internet, and Internet dependency negatively and directly predicted intentions to seek information about STDs and HIV/AIDS on the Internet. In particular, Internet self-efficacy, sensation seeking and perceived sufficiency of information about STDs and HIV/AIDS were stronger positive predictors of such intentions.; The results also showed that most exogenous variables (excluding perceived susceptibility to STD and HIV/AIDS infection) had either a positive or negative significant impact on intentions to seek information about STDs and HIV/AIDS on the Internet mediated by one or a combination of other mediating variables (information-seeking motives connected to both Internet characteristics and information about STDs and HIV/AIDS on the Internet, Internet self-efficacy, and Internet dependency).; Theoretically, this study suggests that more attention needs to be given to (1) specifying Internet use motives, online search strategies, and domain knowledge about STDs and HIV/AIDS as factors influencing intentions to seek information about STDs and HIV/AIDS on the Internet; (2) examining how more traditional channels may displace/supplement use of the Internet; (3) exploring message preferences of impulsive decision makers; (4) investigating how different diseases or health issues influence people's choice of information sources; and (5) including actual sexual and information-seeking behavior. Practically, this study suggests that health practitioners and educators, as they use the Internet as an STD and HIV/AIDS education channel, should work to increase young people's perception of relevant risks, improve their Internet self-efficacy, and target them by considering individual differences, such as sensation seeking. |
