scholarly journals How Did Individual Differences in Neurocognition and Health Literacy Influence the Initial Uptake and Use of Health-related Information about COVID-19?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A. Babicz ◽  
Steven Paul Woods ◽  
Anastasia Matchanova ◽  
Luis D. Medina ◽  
Kenneth Podell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related

Objective: The rapid development of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) into a pandemic required people to quickly acquire, evaluate, and apply novel complex health-related information about the virus and transmission risks. This study examined the possible interplay between neurocognition and health literacy in the early uptake and use of COVID-19 public health information. Method: Data were collected between April 23 and May 21, 2020, a period during which 42 out of 50 states were under a stay-at-home order. Participants were 217 healthy adults who completed a telephone-based battery that included standard tests of neurocognition, health literacy, verbal IQ, personality, and anxiety. Participants also completed measures of COVID-19 information-seeking skills, knowledge, prevention intentions, and prevention behaviors. Results: A series of hierarchical multiple regressions with data-driven covariates showed that neurocognition (viz, episodic verbal memory and executive functions) was independently related to COVID-19 knowledge (e.g., symptoms, risks) at a medium effect size, but not to information-seeking skills, prevention intentions, or prevention behaviors. Health literacy was independently related to all measured aspects of COVID-19 health information and did not interact with neurocognition in any COVID-19 health domain. Conclusions: Individual differences in neurocognition and health literacy played independent and meaningful roles in the initial acquisition of knowledge related to COVID-19, which is a novel human health condition. Future studies might examine whether neurocognitive supports (e.g., spaced retrieval practice, elaboration) can improve COVID-19-related knowledge and health behaviors in vulnerable populations.

scholarly journals Online Health Information Seeking by Parents for Their Children: Systematic Review and Agenda for Further Research

10.2196/19985 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. e19985
Author(s):  
Christian Kubb ◽  
Heather M Foran
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Online Health Information Seeking ◽  
The Web

Background Parents commonly use the internet to search for information about their child’s health-related symptoms and guide parental health-related decisions. Despite the impact of parental online health seeking on offline health behaviors, this area of research remains understudied. Previous literature has not adequately distinguished searched behaviors when searching for oneself or one`s child. Objective The purpose of this review is to examine prevalences and associated variables of parent-child online health information seeking; investigate parents’ health-related online behavior regarding how they find, use, and evaluate information; and identify barriers and concerns that they experience during the search. Based on this analysis, we develop a conceptual model of potentially important variables of proxy online health information seeking, with a focus on building an agenda for further research. Methods We conducted a comprehensive systematic literature review of the PsycINFO, JMIR, and PubMed electronic databases. Studies between January 1994 and June 2018 were considered. The conceptual model was developed using an inductive mixed methods approach based on the investigated variables in the study sample. Results A total of 33 studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings suggest that parents worldwide are heavy online users of health-related information for their children across highly diverse circumstances. A total of 6 studies found high parental health anxiety, with prevalences ranging from 14% to 52%. Although parents reported wishing for more guidance from their pediatrician on how to find reliable information, they rarely discussed retrieved information from the web. The conceptual model of proxy online health information seeking includes 49 variables. Conclusions This systematic review identifies important gaps regarding the influence of health-related information on parents’ health behavior and outcomes. Follow-up studies are required to offer parents guidance on how to use the web for health purposes in an effective way, as well as solutions to the multifaceted problems during or after online health information seeking for their child. The conceptual model with the number of studies in each model category listed highlights how previous studies have hardly considered relational variables between the parent and child. An agenda for future research is presented.

scholarly journals Links between Adolescents’ Health Literacy and their Physical Activity and Body Mass Index

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (114) ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Rutkauskaitė ◽  
Konsta Kuusinen
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Organized Activities ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Sports Club ◽  
Health Related

Background. The aim of the study was to identify links between health literacy, health information literacy and physical activity as well as body mass index in adolescents.Methods. The study was carried out from September till the end of November, 2018. Research participants were 167 14–18-year-old students from Kaunas, Klaipeda and Vilnius (n = 107 females, n = 60 males). Participants were asked to fill in an anonymous online questionnaire, which consisted of basic demographics, physical activity, health information literacy and health literacy. Adolescents’ body mass index was calculated using ISO-BMI calculations. Physical activity was assessed by Petronytė’s physical activity questionnaire. To determine adolescents’ everyday health information literacy, we used self-assessed 10-item screening tool (EHIL-10) and to determine health literacy, we used Newest Vital Sign (NVS) screening test. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0 program for Windows.Results. Health literacy did not have association with body mass index or the level of physical activity. Health literacy scores gave important data of the level of health literacy. The scores indicated that 21.6% of Lithuanian adolescents had adequate level of health literacy. It was found that age correlated positively with health literacy. Self-assessed everyday health information literacy was higher since 85% of the students had medium high or high level of health information literacy. The data revealed that adolescents were not sure where they could find health related information and who they could trust in health-related issues. For males, finding health information and knowing who they could trust in health issues was easier than for females. Health information literacy did not have association with ISO-BMI. Sufficient evaluation of health-related information was higher among normally weighted adolescents. Physically active students had higher health information literacy and participation in sports club activities had positive relation with better health information literacy. Additionally, involvement in organized activities associated with superior understanding of terms and sentences of health information. Evaluation of health information was higher among those who were actively involved in organized physical activities.Conclusions. Health information literacy did not have association with ISO-BMI. Those, who were involved in sports club activities or were more actively involved in organized physical activities had better health information literacy and evaluation of health information. Nevertheless, there was no connection between health literacy and physical activity. Keywords: health literacy, health information literacy, physical activity, body mass index.

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 Understanding the Chinese Hui Ethnic Minority’s Information Seeking on Cardiovascular Diseases: A Focus Group Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (15) ◽  
pp. 2784
Author(s):  
Lei Yang ◽  
Yuping Mao ◽  
Jeroen Jansz
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Minority Population ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Professional Information ◽  
Different Sources

The Chinese Hui ethnic minority group is an Islamic minority. The Hui people comprise the third largest minority population in China and are widely distributed throughout the country. Previous research shows that the Hui had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) than most other ethnic groups. Therefore, the availability of health information relating to these factors is especially important for the Hui minority’s preventive healthcare. They do, however, experience difficulties in obtaining health-related information. The current research aims to identify the needs of the Hui people on where and how they obtain cardiovascular disease (CVD) related information from the media and other sources. Six focus groups were conducted in Shenyang City. The results revealed that the participants relied on different sources to get advice about CVDs, of which the internet and television were the most prominent ones. The participants expressed a desire for credible and professional information from different sources and asked for mediated health communication programs specifically targeted at the Hui. In addition, the participants felt ignored by the Chinese mainstream media at large, which created barriers for them to get health information.

scholarly journals The Relationship between E-Health Literacy and Health-Promoting Behaviors in Nursing Students: A Multiple Mediation Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5804
Author(s):  
Sunghee Kim ◽  
Jihyun Oh
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Multiple Mediation ◽  
Health Promoting Behaviors ◽  
Healthy Behaviors ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Health Promoting

The availability of a wide range of online health-related information on the internet has made it an increasingly popular source of health information, particularly for people in their 20s. This study aimed to explore possible multistep and indirect pathways of association between e-health literacy and health-promoting behaviors through social media use for health information, online health information-seeking behaviors, and self-care agency among nursing students. The study included 558 nursing students from three different universities in South Korea. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from 2 August to 29 August, 2019. The results show that e-health literacy had a significant direct effect on health-promoting behaviors through the three mediators. Moreover, the overall model explained 46% of the total variance in health-promoting behaviors. Based on these findings, it is necessary to introduce interventions that improve e-health literacy and develop a strategy to promote healthy behaviors. It is also necessary to develop programs to improve e-health literacy competency in nursing students. Moreover, health interventions that improve health-promoting behaviors should be developed, and research to evaluate the effect of the interventions should be conducted.

Health information seeking, beliefs about abilities, and health behaviour among Finnish seniors

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Eriksson-Backa ◽  
Heidi Enwald ◽  
Noora Hirvonen ◽  
Isto Huvila
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Health Behaviour ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Current Health ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Cross Tabulation ◽  
The Relationship

The paper presents a study that examines older Finnish adults’ self-perceived capability to access, evaluate, understand and use health-related information, and their perceived ability to influence their health themselves, and the relationship between these factors and their current health, health behaviour and information seeking. Questionnaires were mailed by post to 1000 Finns aged 65–79 years, and a total of 281 completed questionnaires (28%) were returned. Of these, 273 were included in the study. Cross-tabulation and chi-square tests were used for the analysis. Results showed that both a stronger belief in one’s capability to master health information and to act in a healthy manner were positively linked to better health and health behaviour as well as more active information behaviour. These beliefs can be important factors for influencing certain health behaviours and even behaviour change.

scholarly journals ONLINE HEALTH INFORMATION SEEKING DURING ADOLESCENCE: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY REGARDING ROMANIAN TEENAGERS

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Catalina Duduciuc
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Academic Researchers ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Online Health Information Seeking ◽  
Source Of Information

How Internet is used by individuals from different age groups to keep their health in check has become one of the major issue of both academic researchers and policy makers. The topic derives mainly from 2000-2014 data which converge towards an Internet accessing pattern as source of information regarding health. Previous studies showed that teenagers are the main consumers of the Internet and they often start surfing for online health concerns on social media (Facebook, Twitter) and popular engines (Google, Yahoo). The current paper describes how Romanian teenagers (N=161, aged 14-19) browse for online topics to keep their health in check. Based on a questionnaire, the data revealed that the Internet is used to a certain extent by more than a third of the respondents for health topics and over half of them consider that the health related information helped them to achieve a good trim. Overall, the research outcomes showed that the adolescents seem less interested in using Internet for health information and sometimes challenge the credibility of online health content.

scholarly journals Online Health Information Seeking by Parents for Their Children: Systematic Review and Agenda for Further Research (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Kubb ◽  
Heather M Foran
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Health Information Seeking ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Online Health Information Seeking ◽  
The Web

BACKGROUND Parents commonly use the internet to search for information about their child’s health-related symptoms and guide parental health-related decisions. Despite the impact of parental online health seeking on offline health behaviors, this area of research remains understudied. Previous literature has not adequately distinguished searched behaviors when searching for oneself or one`s child. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this review is to examine prevalences and associated variables of parent-child online health information seeking; investigate parents’ health-related online behavior regarding how they find, use, and evaluate information; and identify barriers and concerns that they experience during the search. Based on this analysis, we develop a conceptual model of potentially important variables of proxy online health information seeking, with a focus on building an agenda for further research. METHODS We conducted a comprehensive systematic literature review of the PsycINFO, JMIR, and PubMed electronic databases. Studies between January 1994 and June 2018 were considered. The conceptual model was developed using an inductive mixed methods approach based on the investigated variables in the study sample. RESULTS A total of 33 studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings suggest that parents worldwide are heavy online users of health-related information for their children across highly diverse circumstances. A total of 6 studies found high parental health anxiety, with prevalences ranging from 14% to 52%. Although parents reported wishing for more guidance from their pediatrician on how to find reliable information, they rarely discussed retrieved information from the web. The conceptual model of proxy online health information seeking includes 49 variables. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review identifies important gaps regarding the influence of health-related information on parents’ health behavior and outcomes. Follow-up studies are required to offer parents guidance on how to use the web for health purposes in an effective way, as well as solutions to the multifaceted problems during or after online health information seeking for their child. The conceptual model with the number of studies in each model category listed highlights how previous studies have hardly considered relational variables between the parent and child. An agenda for future research is presented.

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