online health information seeking behavior of pregnant women: a social cognitive perspective

Background: the widespread use of smartphones and the internet has led to increased online health information-seeking, which can improve public health. this behavior is influenced by individual, environmental, and behavioral factors, all considered in social cognitive theory. this study aims to use social cognitive theory to describe how pregnant women seek health information online. methods: this cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2023 to gather data from pregnant women referred to gynecologists’ offices in kerman. a questionnaire was used to collect the data, employing scales that had been validated in prior research and were relevant to this study. the questions were rated on a 5-point likert scale. the data were analyzed using spss version 22.0 and smartpls3.results: most participants (45.6%) were in the 20–30 age group and had (53.5%) bachelor’s degree. most of them had their first experience of pregnancy (59.9%) and had no history of chronic disease (65.4%). the internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and model fit were confirmed. it self-efficacy and it innovativeness had a significant positive association with perceived benefits. there was a significant positive association between professional support, social support, and health awareness. health awareness and perceived benefits did not singularly influence health information-seeking behavior. conclusion: according to the study, it innovation, it self-efficacy, social support, and professional support encourage pregnant women to seek online health information by increasing perceived benefits and health awareness. health professionals, particularly gynecologists, should guide pregnant women toward trustworthy online resources for health information.