Objective: Mobile wireless communication technologies (MWCT) and social media (SM) networks create pathways for accessing widely available information that are favoured particularly by younger generations. The purpose of this study was to explore the way university students use these communication technologies to access health information.
Method: Participants ( n = 696), who were recruited via an email invitation, completed an online self-reported survey that collected multi-dimensional data consisting of quantitative, qualitative and spatial statistics.
Results: The results indicate that technology was used extensively to search for health information and resulted in positive changes in participants' behaviours; however they perceived lack of reliability of the information as a pressing issue.
Conclusion: The results suggest that appealing, persuasive and reliable MWCT and SM can be used extensively to promote health amongst Australian youth.
Keywords: adolescents; consumer health information; social media; wireless technology; young adults.