Prior studies have investigated the antecedents of Health Information Seeking (HIS) using different theoretical frameworks, whereas the inconsistencies in the reported findings warrant a more comprehensive synthesis of this body of knowledge. This meta-analysis identified 12 major antecedents of HIS from six widely used information seeking models examining HIS, developed an organizing framework that segmented current antecedents into cognitive, affective, sociocultural, and information carrier categories, and compared their associations with HIS by meta-analyzing 89 empirical studies ( N = 62,957). Results showed that seeking-related subjective norms and information utility yielded the strongest associations with HIS, whereas cognitive and affective factors demonstrated weaker associations with HIS. Illness types, information-seeking channels, and sampling methods significantly moderated the associations between some predictors and HIS. Implications and directions for future research were discussed.

Singapore was the first country to approve cultured meat for public consumption. However, it remains unclear whether Muslims, who adhere to religious dietary restrictions and constitute a significant proportion of Singapore's population, are willing to consume cultured meat. Informed by the cognitive miser model, this study explores how Muslims make sense of cultured meat through their religious beliefs, trust in different stakeholders, as well as their risk or benefit perceptions of cultured meat. The findings from online focus group discussions showed that Muslim participants would only consider consuming cultured meat if it is certified halal (i.e., compliant with Islamic laws) and they also voiced religious concerns about cultured meat. Muslims have strong trust in food regulatory authorities in providing information about the safety and halal status of cultured meat. In addition to religious concerns, Muslims had similar risk and benefit perceptions of cultured meat compared to those of the non-Muslims. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

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COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease first identified in December 2019 and has caused a pandemic of respiratory illness. During a global public health crisis like this one, health communication serves an instrumental role in controlling the spread of the virus. This entry provides a brief overview of the public health communication practices in the midst of the pandemic. Specifically, we focus on public health messaging in relation to the nature of the disease and mitigation measures in North America, Asia, and Europe. We identify several communication challenges during the pandemic and offer recommendations for future communication.