Dr. Lin Wang, Professor

China Association of Science and Education Evaluation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China

Biography

Dr. Lin Wang is a distinguished professor of information science at Hangzhou Dianzi University, China. He received a Young Information Scientist award from the China Society for Science and Technology Information and a Bob Williams Research Grant Award from the Association of Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T). He earned a PhD in information science from Peking University. His research interests include the foundations of information science and health informatics. He has published more than one hundred academic papers in international library and information science journals and leading peer-reviewed information science journals in China. Several papers received “best paper” awards from national academic organizations, including the Chinese Society for Science and Technology Information and the Chinese Science and Technology Communication Society. Wang was the chair of the special interest group History and Foundation of Information Science, ASIS&T. He is also the vice chair and general secretary of the Zhejiang Information Resources Management Association.

Topic

When Chatman Meets Chinese Rural Older People with Health Anxiety: From Life in the Round to Concentric Life Circles

Abstract

Rural Chinese older people face significant information poverty and elevated health anxiety, yet their health information behavior remains understudied in non-Western contexts. This study employs in-depth interviews, grounded theory, and information horizon mapping to investigate the health information seeking patterns of this vulnerable group. Our findings reveal a concentric life circle pattern, where health information behavior radiates outward from the core life circle (kinship ties/close community) to transitional life circles (extended networks). By integrating Chatman's small world theory and life in the round theory with China’s localized context, we propose the original "Concentric Life Circle Theory" (CLCT). This theory advances cross-cultural information behavior research and offers actionable solutions to mitigate health anxiety through culturally tailored information interventions.