A Tool for Analysing the Information Behaviour of Expectant and New Mothers

In recent years, there has been an increase in the variety and availability of information resources in nearly every area of life. Unfortunately, variety and availability don't always signal quality. With health information, it's important not only to have quality information resources but also to ensure resources meet the needs of their audience. Expectant and new mothers have become active consumers of health information. They access and combine information from offline and online resources when making healthcare decisions. This paper presents a tool that analyses the information behaviour of expectant and new mothers. The Information Behaviour Analysis Tool (IBAT) is based on a theoretical model of information behaviour that is adapted from extant literature. We use interview and activity diary data from the first stage of a longitudinal exploratory study to create and demonstrate the tool. The IBAT can be used to map the information behaviour of new and expectant mothers from beginning to end. Three different search episodes are used to demonstrate the efficacy of the tool and to highlight different types of search strategies. These examples demonstrate the variability of uncertainty as a factor during information behaviour and the interaction it can have when processing different information resources.