Abstract
As we have seen as a consequence of the COVID-19 global pandemic, our scientific-technological society requires a transformation of knowledge in a global, digital and virtual manner. In light of this, and to improve the public health skills of professionals working to promote health education, one of the current priorities is to train pre-service teachers on how to search for health-related scientific knowledge relating to bio-health through digital literacy in health. The objectives of this study were to determine the level of eHealth literacy, scientific knowledge in health and confidence on the part of students, analyzing the degree of improvement following a teaching intervention with students of the Bachelor’s Degree of Education of the University of Extremadura. A quasi-experimental longitudinal study was carried out with pre-test and post-test groups and a mixed data analysis. It involved the application of an active cooperative methodology with tutoring using the jigsaw technique, with the use of four quality digital browsers to enhance scientific rigor. The results show that the initial level of eHealth literacy and confidence was problematic. Following the intervention with the cooperative methodology, both these levels and the level of scientific knowledge in health reached an excellent level. In conclusion, this suggests that university training programs need to be implemented to improve digital and scientific skills in health education as they are currently insufficient. It has been demonstrated that a cooperative active methodology improved these levels and accordingly its use in active and digital higher education should be promoted.
Highlights
Students in a global and digital society require scientific training, in health-related areas
The results of this study reveal the low level of professional skills that future teachers currently possess in the field of public health
Its use should be promoted in university teaching programs, with teachers assuming an active role as agents to promote public health
Summary
Students in a global and digital society require scientific training, in health-related areas. The generation of problematic scientific knowledge due to poor digital literacy in health (eHealth literacy) is a daily occurrence which affects our quality of life. This fact has become even more apparent in recent times in relation to the efforts to counter the COVID-19 pandemic declared by WHO, caused by the virus known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [1,2]. The vast majority of health-related internet searches are made using terminology with concerning deficiencies [5,6,7], leading to misconceptions due to lack of scientific and digital skills [7], which can cause or aggravate individual and community health problems
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