Citizens’ Health Information Behaviors During SARS Spread Periods in Taiwan

The purpose of this study is to investigate the information behaviors of citizens during the periods of SARS spreading in Taiwan. This study is exploratory in nature, and the naturalistic inquiry approach was applied. Sixteen persons, aged from 20 to 62 years old, were interviewed in order to understand their primary information channels of obtaining SARS information, the characteristics of information communication, the methods of infection, the attitudes toward SARS news, and the influences of SARS to life. The findings show that most participants obtained SARS information from televisions. SARS became the major topic of chatting between people, but telephone communication replaced face to face communication. Part of interviewers applied folk medicine to guard against SARS. Participant dissatisfied that governments did not announce much more authoritative information. The results also found participants’ information sharing and information avoidance behaviors.