Associations of eHealth Literacy with Obtaining Knowledge about Colorectal Cancer among Internet Users Accessing a Reputable Cancer Website: Internet-Based Survey Study

Seigo Mitsutake, Ai Shibata, Kaori Ishii, Rina Miyawaki and Koichiro Oka
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Seigo Mitsutake: Human Care Research Team, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan
Ai Shibata: Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan
Kaori Ishii: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama 359-1192, Japan
Rina Miyawaki: School of Arts and Letters, Meiji University, Tokyo 168-8555, Japan
Koichiro Oka: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama 359-1192, Japan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-10

Abstract: Examining the associations of eHealth literacy (eHL) with obtaining health knowledge from websites would help to clarify the causal pathway between eHL and health knowledge. This study aimed to compare the results obtained from Internet users with high or low eHL in accessing a reputable cancer website to obtain colorectal cancer (CRC) knowledge. A total of 105 participants with high eHL and 103 participants with low eHL accessed a reputable CRC website managed by the National Cancer Center and responded to Internet-based surveys before and after accessing a website in 2012. Twelve responses to knowledge statements regarding CRC were selected based on item response theory, and the differences in correct responses of pre- and post-surveys by each eHL group were compared. Two statements showed a significant increase in correct responses in the high eHL group only: “Red meat intake is a risk factor” (p = 0.002), and “Obesity is a risk factor” (p = 0.029), whereas only one response did so in the low eHL group: “Bloody stools are a symptom” (p = 0.004). Low eHL Internet users appeared less capable of obtaining knowledge of CRC by accessing information from a reputable cancer website than high eHL Internet users.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer; cancer knowledge; eHealth literacy; health education; Internet (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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