For some information use researchers, applying information is the final step in the process of information use; or rather, the instrumental use of information (Rich, 1997). In this understanding of information use, the term “use” may be synonymous with the application of information collected or encountered by an individual. Information use in this sense is the
utilization of a resource for some purpose. Information is the resource being applied or utilized to satisfy some particular purpose (Kari, 2010). Information use is the application of cognitive knowledge or information in a particular action (Cook & Brown, 1999; Kari, 2010; Tuominen & Savolainen, 1997). The cognitive or conceptual utilization of information (may) leads to
instrumental information utilization. This conceptualization of information use is aligned with
action. In this dissertation, the instrumental application of information includes the adoption of HIV protective and risk reduction behaviors (e.g. screening for HIV infection and other STIs, treatment of HIV, PrEP use, ART use).
47 2.3.3.2 Effects of information
For other researchers, information use is not simply its application for a particular purpose: it is the effects which information has on an individual or some process. Kari et al. (2010) defines effects of information as “changes brought about by information” (p. 50). Taylor (1991) conceptualized information use as the effects that information has on individuals and their problems or situations. Information use research often attempts to identify the effects that
acquired information causes to an individual’s mental process of making sense of information or knowledge structures (Dervin, Nilan, & Jacobson 1982; Savolainen, 2008; 2009). The cognitive effects of information reflect information use. Examining the effects of information on the cognitive processes of individuals has been the focus of information use studies (Savolainen, 2009; Todd, 1999; Zhang, Soergel, Klavans, & Oard, 2008). Decision-making is a critical form of information use (Choo, 1996; Dearstyne, 2007; Meadowbrooke et al., 2014; Savolainen, 2008). The conceptualization of information use as the effects of information on individuals or some processes aligns with the intent of this study to examine the influence of information behaviors on the decision to engage in HIV protective and risk reduction behaviors among YBGBM.
2.4 Conclusion
This review provided an overview of HIV/AIDS, the HIV prevention and treatment continua, the disproportionate burden of HIV infection experienced by YBGBM in the US, and information behaviors in the context of HIV/AIDS. It began with a discussion of HIV/AIDS, including how it is acquired, transmitted, screened and diagnosed. A discussion of the existing methods for preventing and treating HIV was presented, including an overview of the HIV prevention and care continua. Next, the structural and psychosocial deterrents of engagement
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along the HIV prevention and treatment continua among YBGBM, including financial constraints, intersectional stigma and discrimination in societal institutions and within
community networks, medical distrust and HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs, lack of peer support, and fear and uncertainty of HIV status was discussed. Finally, the review ended with a
discussion of information behaviors as conceptualized in the field of information science with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS information behaviors. Most of the research in HIV/AIDS information behaviors has focused on heterosexual young adults of various genders, non-Black gay and bisexual men, and PLWH. The limited body of work examining the HIV/AIDS information behaviors of YBGBM does so without utilizing the theoretical frameworks and models of information behavior. Additionally, while there is substantial literature on deterrents to the adoption of HIV protective and risk reduction behaviors, there is a gap in knowledge about motivators of adoption of these behaviors among YBGBM. These are two gaps that will be addressed by this study.
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CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY Introduction
This chapter discusses the overall research design and methods used to answer the research questions for this study. The study aims and their related research questions are discussed. Research procedures including study population, sample, recruitment, and study variables are also described. Data collection, management, and analysis plans are presented in detail. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how the study handled issues of validity and reliability.
3.1 Research Questions
The study was guided by two aims and seven subsequent research questions.
Aim I. The first aim is to examine the HIV/AIDS information behaviors of YBGBM. There are four research questions under this aim:
R1. Where do YBGBM seek HIV/AIDS information?
R2. What are motivators of HIV/AIDS information seeking among YBGBM?
R3. Where do YBGBM incidentally acquire HIV/AIDS information?
R4. How do YBGBM use the HIV/AIDS information they acquire?
Aim II. The second aim is to identify the factors which motivate or deter the adoption of HIV protective and risk reduction behaviors.
R5. What are motivators of screening for HIV and other STIs among YBGBM?
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R7. What are motivators of PrEP uptake among YBGBM?
3.2 Ethical Consideration
The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). A Certificate of Confidentiality (CoC) was obtained from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to “protect the privacy of research subjects by prohibiting disclosure of identifiable, sensitive research information to anyone not connected to the research except when the subject consents or in a few other specific situations.” Informed consent was obtained from all study participants during both phases of the research study.
3.3 Research Design
The study employed a mixed methods approach incorporating quantitative and qualitative methods. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was chosen to collect quantitative then qualitative data in sequential phases. During the first phase of the study, quantitative data was collected using an online, self-administered survey from (n= 83) YBGBM living in the state of North Carolina. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 survey respondents. The data collected from the interviews provided further explanation and insight into survey responses, deepened the analysis of findings in the surveys, and analysis of these
interviews also revealed findings not obtained in the survey data. Researchers typically give priority to quantitative data collection and analysis when employing a sequential explanatory design because the quantitative data collection comes first in the study sequence (Ivankova, Creswell, Stick, 2006). In this study, priority was given to the qualitative data collection and analysis (despite it being the second phase of the research process) because the study focuses on explaining why YBGBM engage in HIV/AIDS information, how structural and psychosocial factor motivate or deter their engagement along the HIV prevention and care continua, and
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how they apply the HIV/AIDS information they acquire. Additionally, although the first phase of quantitative data collection and analysis was robust, the qualitative data collection and analysis is more useful for describing the factors which motivate and/or deter the adoption of HIV
protective and risk reduction behaviors, and utilization of HIV prevention, treatment, and care services.