{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T20:05:47Z","timestamp":1790193947473,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":59,"publisher":"JMIR Publications Inc.","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JMIR Public Health Surveill"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Background<\/jats:title>\n Health information\u2013seeking behavior (HISB) is a critical component of personal health management. Health literacy (HL) shapes whether and how people seek health information, but its role across age groups remains underexplored. Korea\u2019s highly digitalized information environment and rapidly aging population provide an important context for examining age-group differences in HL and HISB.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n This study examined age-group differences in the association of HL with 2 related stages of HISB\u2014HISB experience and, conditional on engagement, source-based HISB type\u2014and assessed whether the roles of HL, education, and health-related factors differed across age groups.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n Cross-sectional data from the 2020\u20102021 Korea Health Panel and 2021 HL Supplementary Survey (N=7910) were analyzed. HL was measured using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire-16-item (HLS-EU-Q16). HISB type was classified as source-based \u201cactive seeking\u201d or \u201cpassive acquisition\u201d according to the respondents\u2019 top-ranked information source. Age-stratified multivariable logistic regression was used for HISB experience and type, and sensitivity analyses examined age\u00d7HL interactions and potential selection into the HISB type sample.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n Mean HL scores were lower in older age groups (14.10, SD 2.94 in ages 19\u201044 years vs 8.34, SD 4.65 in \u226565 years). HISB prevalence was highest in the youngest group (1072\/1608, 66.7%) and lowest in the oldest group (1052\/3487, 30.2%). Among those who engaged in HISB, 92.7% (993\/1072) of the youngest group and 48.2% (507\/1052) of the oldest group were classified in the active-seeking category. Primary age-stratified and interaction analyses showed that HL was significantly associated with HISB experience and type among adults aged 45\u201064 and \u226565 years, but not among those aged 19\u201044 years, whereas education and health-related factors were more salient among younger adults. The HL-HISB type association was sensitive to modeling selection.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Age-group patterns were evident in HISB experience and source-based type. HL was a more prominent correlate among middle-aged and older adults, while education and health-related factors were more salient among younger adults. Age-tailored strategies that also consider structural, motivational, and digital-access factors alongside HL are needed.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.2196\/86992","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T10:05:06Z","timestamp":1785492306000},"page":"e86992-e86992","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Age-Related Patterns in Health Literacy and Health Information\u2013Seeking Behavior in a Korean Population: Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.2196","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-4734-1601","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Da Hae","family":"Kwon","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8781-6832","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Young Dae","family":"Kwon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1010","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"R1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2147\/DMSO.S289905","article-title":"Information-seeking behavior and its associated factors among patients with diabetes in a resource-limited country: a cross-sectional study","volume":"14","author":"Mengiste","journal-title":"Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes"},{"issue":"Suppl","key":"R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.1080\/10810730.2015.1131776","article-title":"Health literacy and access to care","volume":"21 Suppl 1","author":"Levy","journal-title":"J Health Commun"},{"issue":"1","key":"R3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/jmir.1619","article-title":"eHealth literacy: extending the digital divide to the realm of health information","volume":"14","author":"Neter","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"key":"R4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2147\/CMAR.S259849","article-title":"Information seeking behavior about cancer and associated factors among university students, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study","volume":"12","author":"Gedefaw","journal-title":"Cancer Manag Res"},{"issue":"2","key":"R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.1080\/08824096.2014.907145","article-title":"Health-information behavior: an initial validity portfolio for active and passive measures","volume":"31","author":"Kelly","journal-title":"Commun Res Rep"},{"issue":"2","key":"R6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"113","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1369-7625.2008.00497.x","article-title":"Patient health literacy and participation in the health-care process","volume":"11","author":"Ishikawa","journal-title":"Health Expect"},{"issue":"8","key":"R7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1006","DOI":"10.1177\/1049732307305199","article-title":"Health information seeking behavior","volume":"17","author":"Lambert","journal-title":"Qual Health Res"},{"issue":"2","key":"R8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"049","DOI":"10.28945\/576","article-title":"Human information behavior","volume":"3","author":"D. 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