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Home / Equine Research Bank / Front Vet Sci / Horse owners seeking online health information: a mixed-meth...
Frontiers in veterinary science2025; 12; 1628421; doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1628421

Horse owners seeking online health information: a mixed-methods study.

Abstract: Many people seek health-related information online, not only for themselves but also on behalf of others who cannot articulate their symptoms. This proxy information-seeking behavior is particularly relevant for animal owners, who must interpret their animals' symptoms without direct verbal feedback. While online health information-seeking in the context of one's own health is well-studied, the specific challenges of searching by proxy, especially for animal health information, remain largely unexplored. Unassigned: This study aimed to determine the specific information needs and search behavior of animal owners. As a case study, horse owners were selected, representing a group regularly searching the web for health-related advice concerning their animals. Unassigned: A mixed-methods approach was used with 17 horse owners in Germany. Participants first described a recent search for equine health information. They were then shown a video of a horse experiencing an asthma attack and asked to conduct a search on how to proceed with the horse's condition. Afterwards, they were questioned about their respective search behavior. Unassigned: The participants' main initial questions revolved around the cause of the horse's condition, its urgency of veterinary treatment and the cost of treatment. All participants chose the Google search engine as the starting point for their search and formulated an average of 3.71 (SD: 2.02) queries. Each of these queries contained an average of 3.81 words (SD: 1.57). Most searches (52%) were evidence-directed with 29% using multiple descriptors of the horse's situation. An average of 0.97 results (SD: 1.38) were clicked per query, with titles containing all search terms in 13% of cases. Participants reported experiencing several barriers to their search, including difficulties in formulating precise queries and the need for additional guidance during the search process. Unassigned: The findings highlight the need for improved online information systems, offering better guidance, context-aware search support, and trustworthy sources. The insights could inform veterinarians on how to better address their clients' communication and information needs, provide them with the skills and knowledge they need to conduct online research and therefore build a better animal health partnership with them.
Copyright © 2025 Haase, Winter, Grummt, Sedlmayr and Sedlmayr.
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Publication Date: 2025-07-23 PubMed ID: 40771955PubMed Central: PMC12325003DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1628421Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article presents a mixed-methods study exploring the online health information-seeking behaviors of animal owners, specifically horse owners in Germany. It highlights the unique challenges of proxy health research without a verbal feedback from the animal and suggests a need for improved online health information systems.

Introduction and Objectives

  • The research aims to understand the specific information needs and search behavior of animal owners, focusing particularly on horse owners. These owners usually refer to online sources for health-related information about their animals, a process filled with unique difficulties due to the lack of direct verbal input about symptoms from the animal.

Methodology

  • This study uses a mixed-methods approach involving 17 horse owners in Germany.
  • Participants were first made to describe a recent search for equine health information.
  • They were then shown a video depicting a horse having an asthma attack and asked to conduct a web search about how to handle the depicted condition. This step was followed by a systematic evaluation of their search behavior.

Findings

  • Participants’ initial questions mainly centered around the causes of the horse’s condition, the urgency of veterinary intervention, and treatment costs.
  • Google was unanimously chosen as the starting point for the search, with participants forming about 3.71 queries which contained an average of 3.81 words.
  • The majority of the searches (52%) was evidence-directed while 29% used multiple descriptors of the horse’s condition.
  • An average of 0.97 search results were clicked per query, with titles with all search terms only in 13% of the cases.
  • Participants reported challenges such as difficulties in formulating precise queries and the lack of guidance during the search process.

Conclusion and Recommendations

  • These findings underscore the need for improvements in online animal health information mechanisms to aid in better guidance, context-aware search support, and providing reliable sources.
  • The research also proposes that these insights can help veterinarians better address their client’s communication and information needs. It could potentially equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge for conducting an effective online health-information research. Consequently, this could enhance the overall animal health partnership between the owners and veterinarians.

Cite This Article

APA
Haase L, Winter J, Grummt S, Sedlmayr M, Sedlmayr B. (2025). Horse owners seeking online health information: a mixed-methods study. Front Vet Sci, 12, 1628421. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1628421

Publication

Frontiers in veterinary science
ISSN: 2297-1769
NlmUniqueID: 101666658
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Pages: 1628421
PII: 1628421

Researcher Affiliations

Haase, Laura
  • Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Informatics and Biometry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
  • Department of Cooperative Studies - Computer Science, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Berlin, Germany.
Winter, Julia
  • Department of Cooperative Studies - Computer Science, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Berlin, Germany.
Grummt, Sophia
  • Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Informatics and Biometry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Sedlmayr, Martin
  • Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Informatics and Biometry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Sedlmayr, Brita
  • Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Informatics and Biometry, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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