THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON STUDENTS HEALTH-SEEKING BEHAVIOUR IN NIGERIA UNIVERSITIES

1.1 Introduction

Health-Seeking behavior is any activity undertaken by individuals who perceive themselves to have a health problem or to be ill for the purpose of finding an appropriate remedy. The internet is a platform where millions of people engaged in the creation and exchange of information. Indeed, this fact affects a large and deep to academic achievement and social life. By this, a review of the literature was carried out to explore and investigate the effect of the internet on academic achievement. It is very important for the researcher to see how the authors see the use of the internet and its impact on students. In addition, it aimed at how digital online can help students in their academic. The researcher also wants to see how well the student learning process becomes effectively by using the Internet as a source of reference information.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

The world has dramatically shifted to digital forms of information searching, which has undoubtedly altered people's perceptions of health care, information seeking, and determining the best path to health, particularly among adolescents. With its accessibility and growing awareness and reception of virtual social networks, the Internet is a worldwide set of links that helps revolutionize interpersonal ties. This enables the creation of sophisticated and resourceful platforms for a wide range of communication and broadcasting of unwavering and transparent information, regardless of their geographic location.

The Internet and the World Wide Web have also aided users in obtaining vital, fundamental, and critical information regarding their health and well-being. Prescriptions, self-diagnosis, and reasons, as well as care and side effects, can all be obtained through global intercommunication before, during, during, and after a consultation with a physician. According to a similar study, internet use is particularly significant because having access to information is a crucial management method for taking control of one's health, and youngsters are not exempt. From an individual standpoint, the health information seeking pattern is primarily concerned with making a realistic decision to cope with health difficulties and seek medical treatment and attention within the available resources.

Health information seeking is a well-known truth. Therefore, attempting to get people to explore health precautions necessitates an indulgence of their zeal for such behavior. The concept of health-seeking behavior is a method of thinking about how people react to being sick. Individual responses are influenced by their beliefs about healthcare, knowledge of illness, and social and economic constraints. The availability of readily available healthcare services, as well as the attention of healthcare providers, are critical to the health of students (Afolabi et al. 2013). Experts in health promotion are concerned about the factors affecting public health behavior as understanding of health promotion advances globally. Students' health-seeking behavior is defined as a person who is in charge of their own health (Mackian, 2011). A universal concern in both developed and developing countries is that providing education and knowledge to kids is critical to improving student behavior. Many factors influence the health and well-being of students, the most powerful of which are education, diet, tradition, culture, economic status attainment, genetics, housing, and employment (Beaglehole, 2002,).

In the twenty-first century, health promotion practitioners must recognize the importance of these elements in promoting public health. The term "health" has different meanings for different age groups, cultures, and people with different life skills and educations. As a result, in the context of their thinking, each individual provides a different interpretation of the terms disease and health (UNDP, 2005). Furthermore, social, economic, and environmental factors influence the concept of health and sickness.

Therefore, in Veritas University where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Impact of the Internet on Students Health-Seeking Behaviour in Nigeria Universities.

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1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that the most serious issue regarding the rise in internet health-seeking behaviour is the potential for harm. The data uncovered could be misleading or incorrect. Furthermore, the majority of medical information websites provide technical information to a public that is unfamiliar with medical literature (Benigeri & Pluye, 2003). The majority of people who utilize these websites lack the medical understanding required to appropriately grasp and digest the information provided.

This could result in a false self-diagnosis, in which case the patient will not receive the appropriate treatment for his or her condition. A misdiagnosis of a serious illness might worsen the patient's condition and even result in death.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to examine the Impact of the Internet on Students Health-Seeking Behaviour in Nigeria Universities using Veritas University as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To investigate the influence of the internet on students' health-seeking behaviors;
2. To find out if using the internet promotes or lowers self-medication among Veritas University students; and
3. To examine the impact of the internet on students' decisions to consult a doctor when ill at Veritas University.

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1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Is it true that using the internet promotes or discourages self-medication and medication among Veritas university students?
• What is the impact of the internet on students' health-seeking behaviors?
• What effect does the internet have on Veritas University students' decisions to see a doctor when they are sick?

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1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There is no significant effect of internet utilization on Veritas University students' decisions towards visiting their school medical centre when they are ill
• H1: There is significant effect of internet utilization on Veritas University students' decisions towards visiting their school medical centre when they are ill

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1.7 Significance of Study

The general public will benefit from this study. In order to raise understanding of the influence of this method of information-seeking behavior on young people's health outcomes, an immediate sensitization/orientation program that would function as a positive intervention should be implemented in schools, youth leisure facilities, and public places.

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

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1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Impact of the Internet on Students Health-Seeking Behaviour in Nigeria Universities using Veritas University as a case study.

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1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

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1.10 Definition of Terms

Health-Seeking Behavior: This has been defined as any activity undertaken by individuals who perceive themselves to have a health problem or to be ill for the purpose of finding an appropriate remedy.

Internet: The Internet is a vast network that connects computers all over the world. Through the Internet, people can share information and communicate from anywhere with an Internet connection.