Stages of change in smoking cessation and health information behavior

ABSTRACT The study aimed at investigating the health information behavior of consumers who attempt to quit smoking and analyzing the effects of the information obtained on health behavior changes. The researchers interviewed 35 college students who were in different stages of smoking cessation for seven months. The study participants in precontemplation or contemplation stages tended to demonstrate passive information‐seeking modes, whereas the participants in more advanced stages tended to perform active and direct information‐seeking. The participants in these stages tended to search more for professional information or firsthand experiences related to pros and cons as well as strategies for smoking cessation. The findings identified the different cognitive or affective effects of the information on individuals at the discrete stages. In particular, the study bridges the gaps of the research that focuses on information behavior related to changes of addictive health behavior by applying the transtheoretical model (TTM) to the concepts of health information behavior.