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

Rafaela Rosário, Maria R. O. Martins, Cláudia Augusto, Maria José Silva, Silvana Martins, Ana Duarte, Inês Fronteira, Neida Ramos, Orkan Okan and Kevin Dadaczynski
Additional contact information
Rafaela Rosário: School of Nursing, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Maria R. O. Martins: Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NOVA University of Lisbon, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
Cláudia Augusto: School of Nursing, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Maria José Silva: School of Nursing, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Silvana Martins: Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), 3000-232 Coimbra, Portugal
Ana Duarte: School of Nursing, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Inês Fronteira: Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NOVA University of Lisbon, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
Neida Ramos: Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NOVA University of Lisbon, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
Orkan Okan: Faculty of Educational Science, Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Literacy Research, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
Kevin Dadaczynski: Department of Nursing and Health Science, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, 36037 Fulda, Germany

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-11

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: digital health literacy; COVID-19; university students; information-seeking behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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