Information behaviors in disadvantaged and dependent circumstances and the role of information intermediaries

Abstract

This article provides the first empirical study focused exclusively on the information intermediary role in disadvantaged (socioeconomic) and dependent (support) circumstances. We report findings from interviews and focus groups with 49 UK state and voluntary sector professionals providing support to young (<21) mothers from areas of multiple deprivations. We evidence an important information intermediary role with three key contributions to information behaviors in disadvantaged and dependent circumstances. Intermediaries: facilitate information needs recognition, and consider purposeful action within problematic situations; are a key source of information in themselves, and a key integrative connection to other external sources not otherwise accessed; and tailor and personalize information for relevance, and communicate via incremental and recursive cycles that take into account learning needs. We provide parameters for a theory of information intermediary intervention to guide future examination of an important and understudied role; and conceptualize important theoretical relationships between information behavior and social capital, and in particular shared concepts of social integration, and the progressive and integrative intermediary role within. Our findings have significant practical implications for public health policy and digital health strategies, as they evidence an important human information intermediary role among an at‐risk group, with implications for disadvantaged and vulnerable populations more broadly.

Developing health information literacy in disengaged at-risk populations

“…There is a need for more prescriptive guidance including methods to assist with elicitation and specification of information need in the problematic context. We also know from our participants and previous work (Buchanan et al, 2018a), that many young mothers have difficulties understanding information due to learning difficulties, and issues of cognitive load. Such issues point to the need for incremental and iterative learning cycles, and personalised information.…”

“…Two recent information behaviour studies amongst at-risk populations (Buchanan and Tuckerman, 2016;Buchanan et al, 2018a) have contributed to our understanding of IL in the everyday context, and provided direction for this current work. Buchanan and Tuckerman (2016) in a study of adolescent information behaviours in disadvantaged and disengaged circumstances, worked with UK young people aged 16-19 not in education, employment or training (NEET), and their support workers.…”

The complex information needs of disadvantaged young first-time mothers: insights into multiplicity of needs

“…There is evidence of the interplay of Wilson's (1997) stress and coping mechanisms known to influence initial action (or not) on needs, and in relation, an important support role provided by health professionals, evidenced in participant comments such as, "I was really struggling at one point and I got [family nurse] and other welfare officers to… help me.". Buchanan et al (2019) have previously identified such professionals as providing an important intermediary role, assisting young mothers with recognising and addressing needs. This study now evidences this important role from the mothers' perspectives.…”

Digital health and patient‐centred care: A digital systems view

“…The second quadrant is digital systems (e.g., how digital products are accessed), which includes human capital that impacts a user's capacity to interact with the system (Buchanan et al, 2016). The digital systems quadrant is defined as a distributed, adaptive, open socio-technical system with properties of self-organization, scalability and sustainability inspired from natural systems.…”