DETERMINING THE LEVEL OF SELF-EFFICACY IN SEARCHING FOR HEALTH INFORMATION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH HEALTH INFORMATION-SEEKING BEHAVIOR OF MOTHERS OF CHILDREN UNDER TWO YEARS OLD REFERRING TO HEALTH CENTERS IN BUSHEHR

Background & Aims: Self-efficacy beliefs are one of the most important ways to achieve goals and success in various fields. One of the fields that self-efficacy has important role in it is the search for health information. This study aimed to determine the level of self-efficacy and its relationship with health information-seeking behavior of mothers of children below two years old referring to health centers of Bushehr Materials & Methods :The method of this study is descriptive-survey. The statistical population constituted of mothers of children under two years old referred to comprehensive health centers in Bushehr City. The sample size The sample size was calculated based on Cochran's formula of 362 mothers who were questioned by available quota sampling.  Data collection was done using a researcher-made questionnaire whose credibility was measured by content validity and formal validity methods in quantitative and qualitative ways, and its reliability was measured by stability test method (test -retest) and Cronbach’s alpha. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson’s) through SPSS software version 24. Results: 69% of mothers had good and very good, 22% had moderate, and 9% had poor and very poor self-efficacy. Self-efficacy had a significant positive relationship with active search, information use, information transfer, information evaluation, and a negative relationship with information barriers. Conclusion: Most mothers have a good level of self-efficacy when searching for information. Mothers with higher levels of self-efficacy actively sought out health information and were more successful in using, transmitting, and evaluating the information. Therefore, strengthening these beliefs to achieve the desired results can be considered by officials and decision makers in the field of health.