The purpose of the study was to identify the factors that are associated with and the processing through which South Korean adults intend to view health TV programs. The reason for the study was that people were becoming more and more concerned about their health and this could be due to the health programs they watch on television.
The study pulled survey data from a nationally representative sample of 1,020 South Korean adults. This survey was done during February 2014 and was conducted with face-to-face interviews. The results of that data showed that demographic antecedents, such as age and gender, and psychological antecedents, such as being health conscious and health literacy, predicted the degree to which people would perceive viewing health TV programs to be useful. The study also looked at the utility. Utility, they found, was related to a person’s intention to view health programs.
The research found that those who thought that the television program’s information about health was useful were more likely to view TV health programs and also recommended for others to do the same.
The study showed that people are becoming more health-conscious and, as such, they evaluate health TV programs to be more useful and actively seek them out. It also showed that by improving health literacy, people are able to evaluate and detect differences in the quality of health information. This information proves that learning about health information from television programs helps people to improve their knowledge about health, and enables them to make better-informed decisions and to adopt healthier behaviors.
Paek, H., Choi, M., & Hove, T. (2017). Intention to View Health TV Programs in South Korea: An Application of the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 94(2), 526-551. doi:10.1177/1077699016689466
