| In spite of strong maternal and child health initiatives in India, the maternal and infant mortality rates remain unacceptably high. There is no single solution to address this issue; however, health information provided to the mothers can benefit both the mother and her developing fetus. Therefore it is important to study the patterns in information-seeking among pregnant women.;This dissertation examined information seeking behavior among pregnant women in a rural region of New Delhi, India using a mixed methods approach. The study was informed by the Wilson Model that predicts information seeking using information needs, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and perceived risk. The model was also extended to include knowledge and direct experience.;To conduct the study, a variant of the sequential mixed-method design was used, wherein the initial qualitative phase informed the design of a culturally anchored questionnaire. A combination of focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted, in order to generate items related to the constructs of the extended Wilson Model. Thematic analyses of the interviews helped creating items pertaining to information needs, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, perceived risk, knowledge, and direct experience. Lay experts as well as experienced social scientists were also asked to evaluate the items in order to ascertain domain adequacy and face validity. Following their suggestions, the questionnaire was revised to form a culturally appropriate tool for the study group. In the second phase, data were collected from 165 pregnant women attending ante-natal clinics at two government hospitals. Data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling approach that allows for hypotheses testing as well as assessing model fit. This method also allows for testing direct and indirect effects.;Information needs, perceived barriers, knowledge, and direct experience were found to be significant predictors of pregnancy related information-seeking. Perceived barriers were also found to predict self-efficacy. Self-efficacy and perceived risk did not predict pregnancy-related information-seeking. Methodological issues could be one reason why self-efficacy and perceived risk did not predict information-seeking. Additionally, the high confidence levels of women in terms of obtaining information may in fact delay their information seeking until complications arise.;The study also points out to a need for increasing low-come, rural women's awareness through innovative means. The need for proper counseling as an integral component of antenatal care is also evident from the study. The qualitative phase of the study provides evidence towards the complexity of the focus group discussion. Therefore, care must be taken while implementing and interpreting focus groups. Future research should involve key-individuals like the husband or mother-in-law in the information-seeking process of the pregnant woman. Additionally, information-seeking could be treated as a mediator variable in order to study how women process the information. |
