Are Adult Women or Men Who Use the Internet as a Health Information Resource More Health Literate?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare health literacy of adult men and women who use the internet for health purposes. It was conducted on 229 adults, who live in Bursa, Turkey, aged 30-69. As data collecting tool, personal along with health information (seeking) forms and 14-item health literacy scale were used. The results showed that although statistically not significant, men used the internet for health purposes more when compared with women. However, it was also calculated that health literacy scores of women who used the internet as a health information resource were higher than those of men in the same category. It can be inferred in this study that women are more health literate compared to men.