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Information Seeking Behavior On Youths : Removing Challenges And Barriers

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Information Seeking Behavior in Youths: Removing Challenges and Barriers
Vanessa Masciantonio
Literature Review

Introduction
Young people are one of society’s most vulnerable populations. Information regarding health and education resources is not accessible enough to today’s youth, and it is questionable as to whether or not those resources need to be improved. In spite of often compelling reasons for why young people should seek information, they consistently engage in less of it than would be expected, even at times seeking no information at all. We tend to assume people will put forth enormous amounts of energy to tackle important problems, however, when people are confronted with gaps it results in anxieties which then provides the generative motor for information seeking (Dervin, 1998) and that they will also guarantee the quality of those information sources and answers, but they clearly do not. In situations of high fear and worry, efficacy becomes critical to insuring constructive responses to problems (Witte, 1992). An example of a dysfunctional outcome of information seeking is suicidal ideation and actual suicide. (Wahlin, 2007).
Recent reports suggest that about one in four adolescents have used the Internet to access health information in the last year. Health and wellness related websites have a powerful influence on the attitudes and behavior of young people. The massive amount of health information available online is astounding. Using

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