Abstract
This study examined and verified the level of e-health literacy (e-HL) and infection preventive behaviors related to COVID-19 among undergraduate students majoring in healthcare. An online survey was conducted with 274 university students majoring in nursing, clinical pathology, and occupational therapy in South Korea. The e-HL consisted of functional, communicational, and critical literacy, and preventive behaviors were based on the Prevention Guideline on Droplet Infection. The mean score for e-HL was 3.62, with nursing students obtaining the highest scores. The overall e-HL score and the scores on its three sub-dimensions were related to infection-preventive behaviors. Moreover, e-HL affected infection-preventive behaviors (p < 0.001). Findings from this study highlight the necessity of education for improving the e-HL of undergraduate students majoring in healthcare to strengthen infection-preventive behaviors and protect patients from infectious diseases.
Highlights
Behaviors of Undergraduate StudentsThe development of various social media platforms has enabled physicians and healthcare workers as well as the public to access health-related information quickly [1].Consumers can search necessary health information via the Internet and use it for disease management, promotion of health status, and choice of healthcare facilities
This study investigated the level of e-health literacy (e-HL) among undergraduate students majoring in healthcare and determine the effect of e-HL on such behaviors
The participants were undergraduate students majoring in healthcare at a university in South Korea who had submitted their consent for participation
Summary
The development of various social media platforms has enabled physicians and healthcare workers as well as the public to access health-related information quickly [1]. Consumers can search necessary health information via the Internet and use it for disease management, promotion of health status, and choice of healthcare facilities. The importance of the Internet as a source of health-related information has increased [2]. People are able to actively utilize the Internet, including social media, as an information source in addition to conventional mass media, such as newspapers and broadcasts. This has diversified the ways to access healthcare information [3]
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