World wide web changed accessibility and the way of searching information, which is easier than ever, web browsing is playing a bigger role than ever before. Important web users are also parents, who, in caring for their children, usually show a greater need for additional health-related information and childcare. Research mainly focuses on mothers as the primary searchers of online health-related information for their children, but few studies have examined patterns of online health-related information seeking among fathers or guardians. The aim of the thesis is to examine how fathers of preschool children search online for information about their children's acute health problems. In my thesis, I investigate the reasons and motives of fathers for searching for health-related online information about their child's acute health problems, how this information is used and how they make decisions based on it, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of those information. The thesis is based on small qualitative study, prepared with the help of in-depth semi-structured interviews with fathers of preschool children (n=6). The collected data are analyzed using descriptive qualitative analysis. I found that the fathers participating in the research are actively searching for health-related online information about the occurrence of symptoms in their children, use this information and make decisions based on it. They are aware of their advantages and disadvantages and know how to avoid them. The findings of such a study can offer a better understanding of how fathers search for health-related online information. This can encourage the improvement of websites that offer such information and are aimed at specific segments of the population, including fathers.
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