The Associations between Individual Factors, eHealth Literacy, and Health Behaviors among College Students

Chiao Ling Huang, Shu-Ching Yang and Chia-Hsun Chiang
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Chiao Ling Huang: Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Information Technology, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
Shu-Ching Yang: Institute of Education, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
Chia-Hsun Chiang: Institute of Education, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: Background: This study aimed to investigate the associations between individual factors, electronic health (eHealth) literacy, dietary behaviors, and exercise habits in college students, as well as the moderating effect of gender on the above target behaviors. Methods: A pen-and-paper questionnaire with a stratified sampling method was used to collect data, and at least 100 students from each stratum were determined to be used for the official sample in this study. Finally, 674 students completed the survey. Results and Conclusions: Chi-square test results demonstrated that genders had dissimilar dietary supplement use and subjective health status. Further analyses indicated females had a higher likelihood of taking dietary supplements and poorer subjective health statuses. The t -test results indicated that the functional eHealth literacy, dietary behaviors, and exercise habits of genders were different, and the mean scores showed that males had higher functional eHealth literacy, healthier dietary behaviors, and higher exercise involvement than females. Regression analyses showed that students who were male, took dietary supplements, placed the utmost importance on health, and had high critical eHealth literacy tended to possess healthy dietary behaviors. Students who were male and had good subjective health statuses tended to have higher exercise involvement. Specifically, the critical eHealth literacy changed dietary behaviors less effectively for women than for men, and the subjective health status changed exercise habits less effectively for women than for men. Therefore, when designing the diet and exercise intervention programs, gender-specific programs rather than generic programs should be given priority to develop.

Keywords: college student; exercise habits; dietary behaviors (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 (4)

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