Health Information Mastering, HIM-Oulu&Åbo

Research group information

Contact information

Research group leader

Research group description

Research on health information behaviour, information practices and information literacy is conducted in multidisciplinary collaboration among Information Studies and Educational Sciences, Internal Medicine, Physiology, Public Health, Medical Technology, Sports and Exercise Medicine, Nutrition Science, and Information Systems Science. The foci of studies are on the competencies needed to seek, evaluate and use health information and their assessment, and on ways to tailor health information and communication. The contexts include health education and promotion, obesity prevention interventions, online health information environments, and the everyday-life situations of young people, adults and the aging population. Results of this basic research are being applied in the development of health promoting interventions, health education, health and well-being services and enabling technologies.

Our team

Where are we headed

Basic research on people’s everyday-life health information behaviour, practices and literacy provides significant, novel theoretical and methodological knowledge. This knowledge is highly applicable to the development of health education, campaigns and interventions as well as innovative health and well-being technologies and related services aiming at preventing lifestyle related diseases and promoting healthy life.

Our main collaborators

  • Prof. Markku Savolainen, Department of Internal Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
  • Prof. Harri Oinas-Kukkonen, Department of Information Processing Science, University of Oulu, Finland
  • Prof. Raija Korpelainen, Centre for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
  • Prof. Peter Bath, Information School & Centre for Health Information Management Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
  • Prof. Karen Littleton, Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
  • Dr. Anne-Kathrin Mayer, Leibniz Institute for Psychology Information, ZPID, Trier, Germany
  • Prof. Ágústa Pálsdóttir, Library and Information Studies, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland

How to find us

History, Culture and Communication Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oulu

Mailing address: P.O.Box 1000, FI-90014 University of Oulu, Finland

maija-leena.huotari[at]oulu.fi