Determinants of sexual health information-seeking on social media among Chinese college students: an application of the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking.
Feng Z, He W, et al. • Frontiers in public health • 2026
The Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking (CMIS) provides 'a useful but bounded framework for examining individual-cognitive and information-evaluation factors related to SHISB among Chinese college students,' with perceived utility serving as an indirect statistical pathway linking perceived information carrier characteristics and sexual health information-seeking behavior.
Key Findings
Results
Perceived direct or vicarious experience with sexual health issues was positively associated with perceived utility of social media for sexual health information.
Study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine associations among variables
Sample consisted of 283 Chinese college students via cross-sectional online survey
Perceived direct or vicarious experience was one of four factors positively associated with perceived utility of SHI on social media
Findings are statistical associations, not causal effects, due to the cross-sectional design
Results
Risk-oriented salience was positively associated with perceived utility of social media for sexual health information.
Risk-oriented salience was one of four variables examined as a determinant of perceived utility
The measurement approach was described as 'risk-oriented,' which the authors note as a limitation in fully capturing sexual health practices
Findings derived from SEM analysis of 283 college student respondents
Results should be interpreted as statistical associations rather than causal relationships
Results
Beliefs were positively associated with perceived utility of social media for sexual health information (SHI).
Beliefs constituted one of four variables positively linked to perceived utility of SHI in the SEM model
The study context involves 'uneven formal sex education and cultural sensitivity surrounding sexuality' in China
Perceived information carrier characteristics were positively associated with both perceived utility of SHI and directly with sexual health information-seeking behavior (SHISB).
Perceived information carrier characteristics was the only variable found to be directly associated with SHISB in addition to perceived utility
This variable was also one of four factors positively associated with perceived utility of SHI
Information carrier characteristics included dimensions of credibility, clarity, accessibility, and relevance
This dual association (direct and indirect) distinguished it from the other predictor variables
Results
Perceived utility of sexual health information served as an indirect statistical pathway linking perceived information carrier characteristics and sexual health information-seeking behavior.
Perceived utility functioned as a mediating variable between information carrier characteristics and SHISB
Perceived utility was also directly and positively associated with SHISB
The indirect pathway through perceived utility was identified using structural equation modeling
This mediation finding was highlighted as a key result in both the abstract and conclusions
Discussion
The Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking (CMIS) was found to be a useful but bounded framework for examining sexual health information-seeking behavior among Chinese college students.
CMIS was applied in the context of social media use for sexual health information among Chinese college students
The framework captured individual-cognitive and information-evaluation factors related to SHISB
Authors describe CMIS as 'useful but bounded,' suggesting it does not fully account for all relevant factors
The study represents an application of CMIS in a Chinese cultural context characterized by cultural sensitivity around sexuality and uneven formal sex education
Conclusions
Improving credibility, clarity, accessibility, and relevance of online sexual health information may better support students' sexual health information needs.
These four dimensions relate to perceived information carrier characteristics identified as a key determinant in the model
Recommendation is grounded in the positive association between perceived information carrier characteristics and both perceived utility and SHISB
The recommendation is directed at sexual health communication and education practitioners
Authors caution that findings represent statistical associations and not causal effects
What This Means
This research suggests that Chinese college students' decisions to seek sexual health information on social media are shaped by several key factors, including their personal or secondhand experiences with sexual health issues, how much they perceive a health risk, their existing beliefs, and how they evaluate the quality of information available online. The study surveyed 283 college students in China and used a statistical modeling technique to understand how these factors relate to each other and to actual information-seeking behavior. China's context of limited formal sex education and cultural taboos around discussing sexuality makes social media a particularly important channel for young people to access this type of information.
One of the most notable findings is that how students evaluate the characteristics of online sexual health information — such as whether it seems credible, clear, accessible, and relevant — matters both directly and indirectly for whether they seek out that information. Specifically, these perceptions influenced whether students found social media useful for sexual health information, and that sense of usefulness in turn predicted whether they actually looked for information. This suggests that the quality and presentation of sexual health content online plays a meaningful role in whether young people engage with it.
This research suggests that efforts to improve sexual health education and communication in China should focus on making online sexual health information more trustworthy, easy to understand, easy to find, and personally relevant to college students. However, because the study was conducted at a single point in time with a specific sample, the findings reflect statistical associations rather than proven causes, and may not generalize to all Chinese college students or other populations.
Feng Z, He W, Xie J, Wang G, Lin W. (2026). Determinants of sexual health information-seeking on social media among Chinese college students: an application of the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1874571