scholarly journals Internet Use, eHealth Literacy, and Dietary Supplement Use Among Young Adults in Pakistan: Cross-Sectional Study

10.2196/17014 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. e17014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Tariq ◽  
Shanchita R Khan ◽  
Amna Basharat
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
University Students ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Dietary Supplement ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Ehealth Literacy ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Supplement Intake

Background Increased access to the internet has facilitated widespread availability of health information. Thus, electronic health (eHealth) literacy—the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic resources and apply that knowledge in making a health-related decision—is a crucial skill. Despite the increasing use of the internet as a source of health information in developing countries, only a few studies have examined the eHealth literacy of young adults, who frequently use the internet to access health information in these developing countries. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the patterns of internet use and eHealth literacy levels among university students pursuing a non–health-related degree in Pakistan. We also examined the association of the eHealth literacy levels of these young adults with their physical activity levels and dietary supplement intake. Methods Students from 2 leading engineering universities in Pakistan were invited to participate in a cross-sectional anonymous web-based survey in order to collect data on their internet use, eHealth literacy, and dietary supplement intake. Of the 900 eligible university students who were invited to participate, 505 (56.1%) students who completed the questionnaire were included in the analysis. The findings were converted to median values and frequency analyses were performed. The associations between the variables were determined using the chi-square test; P≤.05 was considered significant. Results In this study, the median eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS) score was 29, which did not vary across gender. The most common type of health-related information that was searched by the participants was that related to maintaining a healthy lifestyle (305/505, 60.4%). Participants with high eHEALS scores were those who used the internet frequently for finding people with similar health issues (P<.001). The use of specific social media platforms was not associated with the perceived eHealth literacy levels. Neither the frequency of physical activity nor the dietary supplement use was associated with the eHealth literacy of the participants. Conclusions University students in non–health-related disciplines in Pakistan expressed high confidence in their skills to find health-related information on the internet, as indicated by the aggregate eHEALS scores. However, the findings of our study show that the perceived eHealth literacy was not associated with health behaviors such as physical activity and dietary supplement intake. Further research is necessary to investigate the extent to which eHealth literacy can be considered as a panacea for solving public health challenges in developing countries.

scholarly journals Internet Use, eHealth Literacy, and Dietary Supplement Use Among Young Adults in Pakistan: Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina Tariq ◽  
Shanchita R Khan ◽  
Amna Basharat
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
University Students ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Dietary Supplement ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Ehealth Literacy ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Supplement Intake

BACKGROUND Increased access to the internet has facilitated widespread availability of health information. Thus, electronic health (eHealth) literacy—the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic resources and apply that knowledge in making a health-related decision—is a crucial skill. Despite the increasing use of the internet as a source of health information in developing countries, only a few studies have examined the eHealth literacy of young adults, who frequently use the internet to access health information in these developing countries. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the patterns of internet use and eHealth literacy levels among university students pursuing a non–health-related degree in Pakistan. We also examined the association of the eHealth literacy levels of these young adults with their physical activity levels and dietary supplement intake. METHODS Students from 2 leading engineering universities in Pakistan were invited to participate in a cross-sectional anonymous web-based survey in order to collect data on their internet use, eHealth literacy, and dietary supplement intake. Of the 900 eligible university students who were invited to participate, 505 (56.1%) students who completed the questionnaire were included in the analysis. The findings were converted to median values and frequency analyses were performed. The associations between the variables were determined using the chi-square test; <i>P</i>≤.05 was considered significant. RESULTS In this study, the median eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS) score was 29, which did not vary across gender. The most common type of health-related information that was searched by the participants was that related to maintaining a healthy lifestyle (305/505, 60.4%). Participants with high eHEALS scores were those who used the internet frequently for finding people with similar health issues (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). The use of specific social media platforms was not associated with the perceived eHealth literacy levels. Neither the frequency of physical activity nor the dietary supplement use was associated with the eHealth literacy of the participants. CONCLUSIONS University students in non–health-related disciplines in Pakistan expressed high confidence in their skills to find health-related information on the internet, as indicated by the aggregate eHEALS scores. However, the findings of our study show that the perceived eHealth literacy was not associated with health behaviors such as physical activity and dietary supplement intake. Further research is necessary to investigate the extent to which eHealth literacy can be considered as a panacea for solving public health challenges in developing countries.

scholarly journals Patient-Reported Outcomes in a Nationally Representative Sample of Older Internet Users: Cross-sectional Survey (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gul Seckin ◽  
Susan Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Patient Reported Outcomes ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Affective Distress ◽  
Ehealth Literacy ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Reported Health

BACKGROUND The rapid diffusion of the internet has decreased consumer reliance on health care providers for health information and facilitated the patients’ ability to be an agent in control of their own health. However, empirical evidence is limited regarding the effects of health-related internet use among older adults, which is complicated by the proliferation of online health and medical sources of questionable scientific accuracy. OBJECTIVE We explore the effects of health-related internet use, education, and eHealth literacy on medical encounters and patient-reported outcomes. Patient-reported outcomes are categorized into two dimensions: (1) self-reported health problem and (2) affective distress (feeling worried and anxious) due to information obtained. We were particularly interested in whether education and eHealth literacy moderate the association between perceived strain in medical encounters and patient-reported outcomes. METHODS Our study sample consisted of online panel members who have used the internet as a resource for health information, randomly drawn from one of the largest probability-based online research panels. This paper specifically reports results obtained from older panel members (age≥60 years: n=194). First, we examined descriptive statistics and bivariate associations (Pearson correlations and independent samples <i>t</i> tests). We used hierarchical ordinary least squares regression analyses by running separate regressions for each patient-reported outcome. In model 1, we entered the main effects. In model 2, technology and medical encounter variables were included. Model 3 added the statistical interaction terms. RESULTS Age (<i>β</i>=–.17; <i>P</i>=.02), gender (<i>β</i>=–.22; <i>P</i>=.01), and medical satisfaction (<i>β</i>=–.28; <i>P</i>=.01) were significant predictors of self-reported health problems. Affective distress was positively predicted by gender (<i>β</i>=.13; <i>P</i>=.05) and satisfaction with medical encounters (<i>β</i>=.34; <i>P</i>&lt;.001) but negatively predicted by education (<i>β</i>=–.18; <i>P</i>=.03) and eHealth literacy (<i>β</i>=–.32; <i>P</i>=.01). The association between experiencing a health problem in relation to health-related internet use and perception of strained medical encounters was greater among respondents with lower levels of education (<i>β</i>=–.55; <i>P</i>=.04). There was also a significant interaction between education and eHealth literacy in predicting the level of affective distress (<i>β</i>=–.60; <i>P</i>=.05), which indicated that higher levels of education predicted lower averages of feeling anxiety and worry despite lower eHealth literacy. Older women reported higher averages of affective distress (<i>β</i>=.13; <i>P</i>=.05), while older men reported higher averages of experiencing a self-reported health problem (<i>β</i>=–.22; <i>P</i>=.01). CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence for the effect of health-related internet use on patient-reported outcomes with implications for medical encounters. The results could be used to guide educational and eHealth literacy interventions for older individuals.

Evaluating a theory-based intervention for improving eHealth literacy in older adults: A single group, pretest–posttest design (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoung-Eun Lee ◽  
Sun Ju Chang ◽  
Eunjin Yang ◽  
Hyunju Ryu
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Intervention Mapping ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Single Group ◽  
Behavioral Skills ◽  
Ehealth Literacy ◽  
Significant Difference

BACKGROUND The Internet use rate of older adults, who were considered underprivileged in the digital world, is steadily increasing. Specifically, the Internet is considered an important channel for providing health information to older adults, who are the largest consumers of medical services. However, due to factors such as technical difficulties, lack of learning opportunities, and deterioration of eHealth literacy, the Internet is not usually a common factor of delivering health information to older adults. Therefore, we developed an intervention program to improve eHealth literacy in older adults according to the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) theory and Intervention Mapping. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to analyze the effect of developed intervention on information, motivation, behavioral skills, and behaviors related to eHealth information in older adults. METHODS This study applied a single group pretest–posttest design. The participants were 46 older adults over the age of 65 recruited from two senior welfare centers in a city in South Korea. We divided the participants into 4 groups and conducted 4 interventions in the computer room of the Senior Welfare Center from March to December 2019. One intervention was performed once a week (2 hours/1 time) for 5 weeks, and the total lecture time was 10 hours. The instructors were all researchers involved in the development of this intervention, and the instructors for each intervention consisted of one lecture instructor and two assistant instructors who supported the participants in the computer practices. RESULTS Participants’computer/web knowledge (χ²= 60.04, P <.001), perceived ease of use (χ²= 17.86, P <.001), perceived enjoyment (χ²= 23.06, P <.001), and attitude toward eHealth information (χ²= 18.47, P <.001) showed statistically significant increases. The eHealth information literacy efficacy score (χ²= 72.76, P< .001), searching performance score (χ²= 162.57, P < .001), and understanding score (χ²= 60.96, P< .001) were also significantly different from those before and after the intervention. However, there was no significant difference in perceived usefulness (χ²= 5.91, P = .052). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the application of the current theory based methodology can improve the quality of research in developing eHealth information literacy interventions. Additionally, it is necessary to develop and continuously apply various interventions to improve eHealth information literacy among older adults. Finally, measures to improve the Internet environment for older adults should be considered.

Health-Related Physical Activity Levels in Spanish Youth and Young Adults

2014 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 247-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armando Cocca ◽  
Jarmo Liukkonen ◽  
Daniel Mayorga-Vega ◽  
Jesús Viciana-Ramírez
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Youth And Young Adults ◽  
Health Related

scholarly journals Lifestyle Segmentation to Explain the Online Health Information–Seeking Behavior of Older Adults: Representative Telephone Survey

10.2196/15099 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. e15099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winja Weber ◽  
Anne Reinhardt ◽  
Constanze Rossmann
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Sociodemographic Variables ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Health Related

Background As a result of demographic changes, the number of people aged 60 years and older has been increasing steadily. Therefore, older adults have become more important as a target group for health communication efforts. Various studies show that online health information sources have gained importance among younger adults, but we know little about the health-related internet use of senior citizens in general and in particular about the variables explaining their online health-related information–seeking behavior. Media use studies indicate that in addition to sociodemographic variables, lifestyle factors might play a role in this context. Objective The aim of this study was to examine older people’s health-related internet use. Our study focused on the explanatory potential of lifestyle types over and above sociodemographic variables to predict older adults’ internet use for health information. Methods A telephone survey was conducted with a random sample of German adults aged 60 years and older (n=701) that was quota-allocated by gender, age, educational status, and degree of urbanity of their place of residence. Results The results revealed that participants used the internet infrequently (mean 1.82 [SD 1.07]), and medical personnel (mean 2.89 [SD 1.11]), family and friends (mean 2.86 [SD 1.21]), and health brochures (mean 2.85 [SD 1.21]) were their main sources of health information. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on values, interests, and leisure time activities revealed three different lifestyle types for adults aged over 60 years: the Sociable Adventurer, the Average Family Person, and the Uninterested Inactive. After adding these types as second-step predictors in a hierarchical regression model with sociodemographic variables (step 1), the explained variance increased significantly (R2=.02, P=.001), indicating that the Average Family Person and the Sociable Adventurer use the internet more often for health information than the Uninterested Inactive, over and above their sociodemographic attributes. Conclusions Our findings indicate that the internet still plays only a minor role in the health information–seeking behavior of older German adults. Nevertheless, there are subgroups including younger, more active, down-to-earth and family-oriented males that may be reached with online health information. Our findings suggest that lifestyle types should be taken into account when predicting health-related internet use behavior.

The Changing World of ICT and Health

2011 ◽  
pp. 111-128
Author(s):  
Prajesh Chhanabhai ◽  
Alec Holt
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Communication Techniques ◽  
Health Consumer ◽  
Information And Communication

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has undergone rapid change in the last decade and it is now readily accessible within many communities. This change has resulted in a revolution in the healthcare sector as technology has steadily empowered the health consumer. However, the problem of the digital divide remains and may be widening with the growth of technology. This chapter will examine how developing countries have overcome this problem by using varying communication techniques to share health information. The chapter also suggests how mobile phones can provide a more accessible conduit for sharing health information in developing countries as opposed to the Internet alone. These changes need to be embraced in order to provide a framework that will allow ICT to narrow, rather than widen the gap between the information poor and the information rich.

Quality of Health Information on the Internet

2009 ◽  
pp. 443-455
Author(s):  
Kleopatra Alamantariotou
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Effective Use

Recent statistics show that the World Wide Web has now grown to over 100 million sites: a phenomenal expansion in only 15 years (Mulligan 2007). It has been estimated that there are 100,000 sites offering health related information (Wilson 2002). As the amount of health information increases, the public find it increasingly difficult to decide what to accept and what to reject (Burgess 2007). Searching for information on the internet is both deceptively easy and the same time frustratingly difficult (Kiley 2002). The challenge for consumers is to find high quality, relevant information as quickly as possible. There has been ongoing debate about the quality of information aimed at patients and the general public and opinions differ on how it can be improved (Stepperd 1999). The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of the different perspectives on information quality and to review the main criteria for assessing the quality of health information on the internet. Pointers are provided to enable both clinicians and patients find high quality information sources. An understanding of these issues should help health professionals and patients to make effective use of the internet.

scholarly journals University students’ behaviours towards accessing sexual health information and treatment

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 671-679
Author(s):  
Benjamin J Gray ◽  
Adam T Jones ◽  
Zoë Couzens ◽  
Tracey Sagar ◽  
Debbie Jones
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Health ◽  
University Students ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Family Doctor ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Family Doctors ◽  
Sexual Health Information ◽  
Sexual Health Clinics ◽  
The Uk

Globally, it is widely recognised that young people (those under the age of 25 years) are at a higher risk of developing sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The majority of university students studying in the UK fall within this age bracket, and to help prevent such high incidence of STIs in this age group, it is essential that advice and treatment, if required, are obtained from reliable sources. This study sought to explore sources of sexual heath advice and treatment for students at Welsh universities (n = 3007). The main sources of advice were identified as the internet (49.1%) and GP/family doctors (38.9%), whilst local sexual health clinics (24.9%) and GP/family doctor services (20.2%) were the main sources for treatment in students. Males were more likely than females to report never needing advice (AOR 2.74; CI = 2.24–3.35) or requiring treatment (AOR 1.37; CI = 1.17–1.60). The apparent lack of engagement with these services by male students is a cause for concern, although one possible solution could be to further develop online methods to increase uptake of testing. Furthermore, the popularity of the internet for advice provides a timely reminder that regulation of online sexual health information is critical.

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