Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore whether the notion of cognitive authority by Wilson (1983) has the potential to increase the understanding of health information literacy in the context of everyday life. The qualitative research method is based on a socio-cultural perspective and elaborates further the results of two comparative studies among people living in a North-European country and a West-African country. In these studies an everyday health information literacy (EHIL) screening tool was utilised to indicate differences among groups of people. The exploration shows that the concept of cognitive authority with its sub-concepts has some explanatory potential, which should be examined further in future studies.