Abstract
BackgroundMany children and adolescents are surrounded by smartphones, tablets, and computers and know how to search the internet for almost any information. However, very few of them know how to select proper information from reliable sources. This can become a problem when health issues are concerned, where it is vital to identify incorrect or misleading information. The competence to critically evaluate digital information on health issues is of increasing importance for adolescents.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess how children and adolescents rate their internet-based health literacy and how their actual literacy differs from their ratings. In addition, there was a question on how their search performance is related to their self-efficacy. To evaluate these questions, a criteria-based analysis of the quality of the websites they visited was performed. Finally, the possibility to increase their internet-based health literacy in a 3-day workshop was explored.MethodsA workshop with a focus on health literacy was attended by 14 children and adolescents in an Austrian secondary school. After prior assessments (Culture Fair Intelligence Test, revised German version; Reading Speed and Reading Comprehension Test for Grades 6 to 12, German; electronic health literacy scale [eHEALS]; and General Self-Efficacy Scale, Reversed Version, German), the students were asked to perform an internet-based search on a health-related issue. Browser histories and screenshots of all internet searches were gathered, clustered, and analyzed. After the workshop, the health literacy of the students was assessed again by using the eHEALS.ResultsThe 14 students opened a total of 85 homepages, but only eight of these homepages were rated as good or fair by two experts (independent rating) based on specific criteria. The analysis showed that the students judged their own internet-based health literacy much higher than the actual value, and students who had rated themselves better did not visit websites of high quality. Internet-based health literacy correlated significantly with the self-efficacy of the students (rs=0.794, P=.002).ConclusionsOur study showed that it is possible to draw the attention of students to critical aspects of internet search and to slightly improve their search competence in a workshop. Targeted improvement of health literacy is urgently required, and students need special instruction for this purpose. Further investigations in this area with larger sets of data, which could be feasible with the help of a computer program, are urgently needed.
Highlights
At present, a huge amount of information is accessible on the internet at almost any time and any place
The information seeking process usually starts with a need for information [5], which is often satisfied by using search engines on the internet [6]
There was a noticeable variation in reading competence among the students; reading competence had no relevant associations with seeking behavior-related variables, the electronic health literacy scale eHealth (eHEALS) score, or self-efficacy
Summary
A huge amount of information is accessible on the internet at almost any time and any place. In Austria, in 2019, 94% of Austrian youth (aged 11-14 years) had access to the internet at home and spent on average 94 minutes a day using the internet, and 62% of them searched for information using the internet [3]. A recent study showed that children and young adolescents (aged 11-13 years) mainly formulate phrase- and question-like queries rather than keywords when searching for information regarding a particular task [7]. After prior assessments (Culture Fair Intelligence Test, revised German version; Reading Speed and Reading Comprehension Test for Grades 6 to 12, German; electronic health literacy scale [eHEALS]; and General Self-Efficacy Scale, Reversed Version, German), the students were asked to perform an internet-based search on a health-related issue. Further investigations in this area with larger sets of data, which could be feasible with the help of a computer program, are urgently needed
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