scholarly journals Digital health literacy and online information seeking in times of COVID-19. A cross-sectional survey among university students in Germany (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Dadaczynski ◽  
Orkan Okan ◽  
Melanie Messer ◽  
Angela Y. M. Leung ◽  
Rafaela Rosário ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
University Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Online Information Seeking

BACKGROUND Digital communication technologies play an important role in governments’ and public health authorities’ health communication strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The internet and social media have become important sources of health-related information on the coronavirus and on protective behaviours. In addition, the COVID-19 infodemic spreads faster than the coronavirus itself, which interferes with governmental health-related communication efforts. This puts national public health containment strategies in jeopardy. Therefore, digital health literacy is a key competence to navigate coronavirus-related information and service environments. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate university students’ digital health literacy and online information seeking behaviours during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic in Germany. METHODS A cross-sectional study among N=14,916 university students aged ≥18 from 130 universities across all sixteen federal states of Germany was conducted using an online survey. Along with sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, subjective social status) measures included five subscales from the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI), which was adapted to the specific coronavirus context. Online information seeking behaviour was investigated by examining the online sources used by university students and the topics that students search for in connection with the coronavirus. Data were analysed using univariate and bivariate analyses. RESULTS Across digital health literacy dimensions, the greatest difficulties could be found for assessing the reliability of health-related information (42.3%) and the ability to determine whether the information was written with commercial interest (38.9%). Moreover, respondents also indicated that they most frequently have problems finding the information they are looking for (30.4%). When stratified according to sociodemographic characteristics, significant differences were found with female university students reporting a lower DHLI for the dimensions of ‘information searching’ and of ‘evaluating reliability’. Search engines, news portals and public bodies’ websites were most often used by the respondents as sources to search for information on COVID-19 and related issues. Female students were found to use social media and health portals more frequently, while male students used Wikipedia and other online encyclopaedias as well as YouTube more often. The use of social media was associated with a low ability to critically evaluate information, while opposite differences were observed for the use of public websites. CONCLUSIONS Although digital health literacy is, in summary, well developed in university students, a significant proportion of students still face difficulties with certain abilities to deal with information. There is need to strengthen the digital health literacy capacities of university students using tailored interventions. Improving the quality of health-related information on the internet is also key. CLINICALTRIAL

scholarly journals Digital health literacy and online information queries in Portuguese university students

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Rosário ◽  
C Augusto ◽  
MJ Silva ◽  
S Martins ◽  
A Duarte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
University Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Logistic Regression Models

Abstract Background Worldwide there is an overwhelming amount of information about COVID-19 circulating online, also named infodemic. Misinformation (the unintentional) and disinformation (the intentional) spreading of false information have proven to be very dangerous to public health. Hence, more than ever, people need skills for searching, evaluating and integrating information related to health in daily life, i.e., health literacy. Until now, little is known about the digital health literacy of university students and their information-seeking behaviour. Hence, this study aimed to analyse the associations between university students' digital health literacy and online information queries during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (and infodemic) in Portugal. Methods A cross-sectional study of 3.084 Portuguese university students (75.7% females), with an average age of 24.2 (SD = 7.5), was conducted using an online survey. We used sociodemographic data (sex, age, subjective social status) and the digital health literacy questionnaire adapted to the specific COVID-19 context. Online information queries included the topics related to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 searched by students. Logistic regression models were performed. Results Online information queries (e.g., individual measures to protect against infection, current spread of the virus, current situation assessments and recommendations) were associated with an increased odds of achieving sufficient digital health literacy. Conclusions Online information queries related to epidemiological and public health topics are significantly associated with digital health literacy in times of COVID-19. Further studies are needed, including programs that improve digital health literacy among university students and increase the availability of high-quality content information.

scholarly journals Facing the Growing COVID-19 Infodemic: Digital Health Literacy and Information-Seeking Behaviour of University Students in Slovenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8507
Author(s):  
Mitja Vrdelja ◽  
Sanja Vrbovšek ◽  
Vito Klopčič ◽  
Kevin Dadaczynski ◽  
Orkan Okan
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
University Students ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Information Seeking Behaviour

The entire world is faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, which is also accompanied by an infodemic. This refers to the rapid spread of (accurate and false) information, mainly through internet usage increasing. Digital health literacy (DHL) is therefore important for addressing challenges related to online health information and services, as well as for navigation through the complex information landscape with huge amounts of different (and conflicting) information about COVID-19. The aim of this study is to examine the level of DHL in relation to COVID-19 in Slovenian university students and to determine online information-seeking behaviour in order to plan and prepare effective communication interventions for this sub-population. A cross-sectional survey, administered by an online questionnaire, was conducted to collect data on DHL. A total of 3621 students participated, of whom 70% were female and the average age was 22.65 years (SD = 4.65). Bivariate analyses were performed to assess the association of key characteristics with DHL. Overall, the results show that the level of DHL among students is sufficient. Most difficulties were reported in assessing the reliability of information (n = 1484, 49.3%). Approximately one third of the students (n = 847, 27.9%) reported having problems in finding information of their interest, and somewhat more (n = 900, 29.6%) reported difficulties in making a selection among all the information found. Students with a sufficient level of DHL are more likely to seek information through search engines and websites of official institutions, while students with a limited level of DHL more frequently reported using social media for health information searches. It is necessary to establish interventions for a systematic lift of the DHL and health literacy (HL) of all population groups.

scholarly journals Digital Health Literacy About COVID-19 as a Factor Mediating the Association Between the Importance of Online Information Search and Subjective Well-Being Among University Students in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linh Hoang Thuy Nguyen ◽  
Man Thi Hue Vo ◽  
Lien Thi Mai Tran ◽  
Kevin Dadaczynski ◽  
Orkan Okan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
University Students ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Information Searching ◽  
Related Information

Introduction: Digital health literacy (DHL) has recently been proposed as a means of enabling healthy decisions for protective behavior, preventive measures, and adherence with COVID-19 policies and recommendations especially in the era of the “infodemic”. This study aimed to (1) identify COVID-19 related DHL and its association with online information seeking; (2) to elucidate COVID-19 related DHL as a mediator predictor between the importance of online information search and its association with subjective well-being among Vietnamese university students.Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was used to elicit the responses of Vietnamese students over 2 consecutive weeks (from April 25 to May 9, 2020, n = 1,003, 70.1% female students, mean age 21.4 ± 3.1). The online survey questionnaire collected data on the sociodemographic characteristics of participants, DHL about COVID-19, information seeking behavior, and subjective well-being. Mediation analysis was conducted using the importance of searching COVID-19 related information as independent variables, subjective well-being as a dependent variable, and DHL as a mediator variable.Results: Among 1,003 students, the mean (SD) of DHL related to COVID-19 was 2.87 ± 0.32. In the survey, 87.2% of the students reported sufficient well-being, while almost 13% reported low or very low well-being. The findings also indicated that search engines were the most popular platform for information seeking by Vietnamese students (95.3%) and 92.8% of participants had searched for information related to the current spread of COVID-19. Not searching for hygiene regulation as part of infection control and an average level of information satisfaction were associated with limited DHL (p < 0.05). The importance of online information searching related to COVID-19 increased the subjective well-being of students significantly and limited DHL (p < 0.05). DHL was found to mediate the relationship between the importance of online information searching and the subjective well-being of students.Conclusion: The finding provides insight into DHL about COVID-19 among university students, and their ability to find, understand, appraise, and use online health related information during lockdown throughout the first COVID-19 pandemic wave. DHL should be highlighted as a mediating factor that enhances the positive effect of the importance of information seeking on psychological well-being. However, further studies are needed to better define the mediating role of DHL across other factors.

scholarly journals Associations between COVID-19-Related Digital Health Literacy and Online Information-Seeking Behavior among Portuguese University Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 8987
Author(s):  
Rafaela Rosário ◽  
Maria R. O. Martins ◽  
Cláudia Augusto ◽  
Maria José Silva ◽  
Silvana Martins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
University Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Online Information Seeking

We aim to evaluate the associations between digital health literacy (DHL) related to COVID-19 and online information-seeking behavior among university students. Methods: A total of 3.084 students (75.7% women), with an average age of 24.2 (SD = 7.5) participated in this cross-sectional study, most of whom (36.5%) were from social sciences and pursued a bachelor’s degree (50.7%). Data on COVID-19-related DHL and online information-seeking behavior were collected using an online questionnaire. Logistic regression models were performed. Results: As the pandemic progressed, participants showed a lower chance of achieving a sufficient DHL (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.6; 0.9). Using search engines more often (e.g., Google) (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.5; 0.9), Wikipedia (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.6; 0.9) and social media (e.g., Facebook) (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.6; 0.9) decreased the likelihood of achieving sufficient DHL related to COVID-19. More frequent use of websites of public bodies (OR = 1.7; 95% CI = 1.1; 2.5) increased the odds of reporting sufficient DHL. Conclusion: DHL is associated with university students’ online information-seeking behavior in the time of COVID-19. From a community and public health perspective, programs aiming at improving DHL should be highlighted.

COVID-19 and health information seeking behavior: Digital health literacy survey amongst university students in Pakistan (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rubeena Zakar ◽  
Sarosh Iqbal ◽  
Muhammad Zakria Zakar ◽  
Florian Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
University Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Seeking Behavior

BACKGROUND Amid to the COVID-19 pandemic, digital health literacy (DHL) has become a significant public health concern. OBJECTIVE This research aims to assess information seeking behavior, as well as the ability to find relevant information and deal with DHL among university students in Pakistan. METHODS An online-based cross-sectional survey, using a web-based interviewing technique, was conducted to collect data on DHL. Simple bivariate and multivariate linear regression was performed to assess the association of key characteristics with DHL. RESULTS The results show a high DHL related to COVID-19 in 54.3% of students. Most of the Pakistani students demonstrated ~50% DHL in all dimensions, except of reliability. Multivariate findings showed that gender, sense of coherence and importance of information were found to be significantly associated with DHL. However, a negative association was observed with students’ satisfaction with information. CONCLUSIONS This led to the conclusion that critical operational and navigations skills are essential to achieve COVID-19 DHL and cope with stress, particularly to promote both personal and community health. Focused interventions and strategies should be designed to enhance DHL amongst university students to combat the pandemic.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Health Information Seeking Behavior: Digital Health Literacy Survey amongst University Students in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4009
Author(s):  
Rubeena Zakar ◽  
Sarosh Iqbal ◽  
Muhammad Zakria Zakar ◽  
Florian Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
University Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, digital health literacy (DHL) has become a significant public health concern. This research aims to assess information seeking behavior, as well as the ability to find relevant information and deal with DHL among university students in Pakistan. An online-based cross-sectional survey, using a web-based interviewing technique, was conducted to collect data on DHL. Simple bivariate and multivariate linear regression was performed to assess the association of key characteristics with DHL. The results show a high DHL related to COVID-19 in 54.3% of students. Most of the Pakistani students demonstrated ~50% DHL in all dimensions, except for reliability. Multivariate findings showed that gender, sense of coherence and importance of information were found to be significantly associated with DHL. However, a negative association was observed with students′ satisfaction with information. This led to the conclusion that critical operational and navigations skills are essential to achieve COVID-19 DHL and cope with stress, particularly to promote both personal and community health. Focused interventions and strategies should be designed to enhance DHL amongst university students to combat the pandemic.

scholarly journals Information searching behaviors among Vietnamese students during first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 05 (02) ◽  
pp. 72-80
Author(s):  
Hoang Thuy Linh Nguyen ◽  
◽  
Xuan Minh Tri Tran ◽  
Thi Mien Ha Nguyen ◽  
Dinh Tuyen Hoang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
University Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Multivariable Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Information Searching ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Information

Objective: This study aims to describe the COVID-19 related information searching behaviors and the relationship between those behaviors and the satisfaction with the COVID-19 related information searched on the Internet among university students during first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by a web-based survey from April 25, 2020 to May 9, 2020. Convenient sample with the method of snowball sampling was applied, 1003 students were obtained totally. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify the associations between those behaviors and the satisfaction with the COVID-19 related information searched on the Internet. Results: Search engines were the most popular sources used for online COVID-19 information seeking (95.3%), followed by Social media (92.4%) and News portals (91.6%). About 90% of participants searched the information related to the current spread of the coronavirus, followed by symptoms of the COVID-19 (81.8%) and individual measures to protect against infection (81.9%). Vietnamese remains the main language of the sources with 70.3% of participants used. There’s 45.8% of participant satisfied about the COVID-19 related information. The group of participants who sought information about prevention was 0.47 times less dissatisfied than the group that did not search. Conclusion: There are significant associations between searching topics related to prevention and the COVID-19 related information satisfaction searched on the Internet. These results highlight the need for providing efficient information related to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as seriously consider focusing more on social media to better bring official information to the public. Keywords: COVID-19, information searching behaviors, university students, satisfaction

The influencing factors of cyberchondria in residents in China during the COVID-19 epidemic: health anxiety and online information seeking behavior. Cross-sectional study. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aijing Luo ◽  
Xiao-Qing Peng ◽  
Yang Chen ◽  
Yi-Chuan Zhang ◽  
Fei Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Health Anxiety ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Online Information Seeking

BACKGROUND Cyberchondria is considered “the anxiety-amplifying effects of online health-related searches”, and associated with health anxiety and online health-related information seeking behavior. However, data on the prevalence and influencing variables of cyberchondria are still scarce. Until now, there have been few studies on cyberchondria in residents in China, especially in the context of COVID-19 outbreaks in China. OBJECTIVE To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of cyberchondria in residents in China during the epidemic period of coronavirus disease 2019. METHODS The participants were 674 community residents of a Chinese city surveyed from February 1 to 15, 2020. We administered online measures, including the Chinese Short Form of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSCS), Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI), eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS), Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), and COVID-19-related online information seeking behavior questionnaire. RESULTS In our study, the average CSCS total score of residents was 30.65±11.53 during the virus epidemic; 79.4% of participants had a moderate level of cyberchondria, while 11.1% experienced a higher level of cyberchondria. Gender, age, monthly income, education level, personal illness with Helicobacter pylori infection, relatives’ illness with chronic bronchitis, COVID-19-related online information seeking frequency and duration were all significantly associated with the CSCS total score (p<.05), SHAI total score (β=0.598>0, P<.05), and eHEALS score (β=0.162>0, P<.05). Searching for information on diagnosing COVID-19 (β=2.28>0, P<.05) and the use of general search engines (β=1.867>0, P<.05) were independent risk factors for cyberchondria, while searching lasting less than 10 minutes each (β=-2.992<0, P<.05), the use of traditional media digital platforms (β=-1.650<0,P<.05), and the use of professional medical communication platforms (β=-4.189<0,P<.05) were independent protective factors for cyberchondria. CONCLUSIONS Most Chinese residents have a moderate level of cyberchondria, and cyberchondria has a strong positive association with health anxiety in residents in China during the virus epidemic. Searching online for less than 10 minutes for COVID-19-related information is an adoptable suggestion, and choosing a traditional media digital platform and a professional medical communication platform are recommended and helpful for alleviating cyberchondria.

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