scholarly journals IC-Health Project: Development of MOOCs to Promote Digital Health Literacy: First Results and Future Challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6642
Author(s):  
Lilisbeth Perestelo-Perez ◽  
Alezandra Torres-Castaño ◽  
Carina González-González ◽  
Yolanda Alvarez-Perez ◽  
Ana Toledo-Chavarri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
First Results ◽  
Health Project ◽  
Exploratory Report ◽  
Group Interviews

Digital health literacy (DHL) is the ability to search, understand and evaluate information from digital media and apply that knowledge to solve health problems. However, currently many citizens have not developed these skills, and this compromises not only the self-management of their health, but the possibility that health services are socially sustainable. The objective of this article was to present the objectives, activities and results of the IC-Health project whose objective was to develop a series of massive open online courses (MOOCs) to improve the DHL skills of European citizens. An exploratory report on DHL’s current evidence was developed. Furthermore, a survey, focus groups and group interviews were conducted to determine DHL levels and the needs of population cohorts (children; adolescents; pregnant and lactating women; the elderly; and people affected by type 1 and type 2 diabetes). A participation strategy with end users was designed through a community of practice for the creation of MOOCs with the seven European countries that participated in the consortium. Thirty-five MOOCs were developed in eight different languages and a descriptive and exploratory assessment of MOOCs was conducted with new participants. This first evaluation indicated that MOOCs can be an effective educational resource for DHL and a facilitator of shared decision-making processes. The process of co-creation of MOOCs, the components, the challenges and the opportunities identified in this European project could be useful for other developers of MOOCs who want to co-create interventions with beneficiaries in similar settings. Further longer-term actions are still needed to improve citizens’ DHL.

scholarly journals Digital health literacy of health care profession students

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Dratva ◽  
S Juvalta ◽  
M Gemperle ◽  
D Händler-Schuster ◽  
M Scheermesser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
Personal Health Information

Abstract Background Digital transformation in health and health systems is a chance and a challenge for health professionals irrespective of their field. To maximize the benefit for patients high digital health literacy is required. A requirement not represented in health professions’ curricula in Switzerland. Little is known on the digital health competencies of students, on their utilization and views of digital media in the context of health, thus a cross-sectional survey was performed at a School of Health Professsions in Switzerland. Methods All BSc. students (N = 1200; nursing, midwifery, occupational health, physiotherapy and health promotion) received an online questionnaire covering utilization of various information resources, views on digital health & media and the German eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS, score 0 - 40). Descriptive and group analyses were performed, further adjusted analyses will be run. Results 453 students responded (female N = 368, male N = 26). Participation was 38% and highest in 1st students. Personal health information resources used most were: internet 82%, familiy&friends 70%, health professionals 66%, textbooks 40%. A majority rated digital media as important (66%) or rather important (30%) for their future professional activities. The overall eHeals-score was 28.6 (sd 4.93); critical evaluation and confidence in applying information scored lowest. Preliminary group analyses show significant increase by study year (1st 28.0, 2nd 28.9, 3rd 29.7, p = 0.01), while scores by gender or health profession were non-significantly different. Conclusions Almost all students in health professions use digital media for their own health information needs and consider digital media as highly relevant for their future career. Critical evaluation skills need to be strenghtend. Digital Health Literacy is only slightly higher in 3rd year students. Longitudinal data are needed to differentiate cohort from learning effects. Key messages Digital media are increasingly important in health systems, a view shared by future health professionals. Data indicate only a small increase of digital health literacy across three years of study. Curricula should include digital health competencies to ensure a highly digitally skilled health work force.

scholarly journals Electronic Health Literacy in Swiss-German Parents: Cross-Sectional Study of eHealth Literacy Scale Unidimensionality (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibylle Juvalta ◽  
Matthew J Kerry ◽  
Rebecca Jaks ◽  
Isabel Baumann ◽  
Julia Dratva
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ehealth Literacy ◽  
Swiss German

BACKGROUND Parents often use digital media to search for information related to their children’s health. As the quantity and quality of digital sources meant specifically for parents expand, parents’ digital health literacy is increasingly important to process the information they retrieve. One of the earliest developed and widely used instruments to assess digital health literacy is the self-reported eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS). However, the eHEALS has not been psychometrically validated in a sample of parents. Given the inconsistency of the eHEALS underlying factor structure across previous reports, it is particularly important for validation to occur. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the factor structure of the German eHEALS measure in a sample of parents by adopting classic and modern psychometric approaches. In particular, this study sought to identify the eHEALS validity as a unidimensional index as well as the viability for potential subscales. METHODS A cross-sectional design was used across two purposive sampling frames: online and paper administrations. Responses were collected between January 2018 and May 2018 from 703 Swiss-German parents. In addition to determining the sampling characteristics, we conducted exploratory factor analysis of the eHEALS by considering its ordinal structure using polychoric correlations. This analysis was performed separately for online–based and paper–based responses to examine the general factor strength of the eHEALS as a unidimensional index. Furthermore, item response theory (IRT) analyses were conducted by fitting eHEALS to a bifactor model to further inspect its unidimensionality and subscale viability. RESULTS Parents in both samples were predominantly mothers (622/703, 88.5%), highly educated (538/703, 76.9%), of Swiss nationality (489/703, 71.8%), and living with a partner (692/703, 98.4%). Factor analyses of the eHEALS indicated the presence of a strong general factor across both paper and online samples, and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test indicated that the eHEALS total sum score was not significantly different between the paper and online samples (<i>P</i>=.12). Finally, the IRT analyses indicated negligible multidimensionality, insufficient subscale reliability after accounting for the eHEALS general factor, and a reduced subset of items that could serve as a unidimensional index of the eHEALS across the paper and online samples. CONCLUSIONS The German eHEALS evidenced good psychometric properties in a parent-specific study sample. Factor analyses indicated a strong general factor across purposively distinct sample frames (online and paper). IRT analyses validated the eHEALS as a unidimensional index while failing to find support for subscale usage.

Health Literacy and Health/Risk Communication

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Mackert ◽  
Sara Champlin ◽  
Jisoo Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Providers

Health literacy—defined as the ability of an individual to obtain, process, understand, and communicate about health information—contributes significantly to health outcomes and costs to the U.S. health-care system. Approximately one-quarter to one-half of U.S. adults struggle with health information, which includes understanding patient education materials, reading medication labels, and communicating with health-care providers. Low health literacy is more common among the elderly, those who speak English as a second language, and those of lower socioeconomic status. In addition to conceptualizing health literacy as an individual-level skill, it can also be considered an organizational or community-level ability. Increased attention to the field of health literacy has resulted in debates about the definition and the best ways to assess health literacy; there is also a strong and growing movement within the field of health literacy research and practice to frame health literacy less as a deficit to overcome and more as an approach to empowering patients and improving outcomes. As health-care providers have recognized the importance of health literacy, workshops, and training programs have been developed and evaluated to improve the care of low-health-literate patients. Similarly, health promotion professionals have developed best practices for reaching low-health-literate audiences with traditional and new digital media, which can also increase access for patients with hearing or visual impairments. Additionally, recent policy changes in the United States, including those related to the Affordable Care Act, contribute to a greater focus and regulation of factors that impact health literacy. Researchers and practitioners together are advancing understanding of health literacy, its relationship to health outcomes and health-care costs, and improved strategies for improving the health of lower health literate patients. Development and review of health literacy pieces can aid in shared decision making and provide insights for patients on various health-care services.

From health education to digital health literacy – building on the past to shape the future

2021 ◽  
pp. 175797592110440
Author(s):  
Don Nutbeam
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Transferable Skills ◽  
New Public Health ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
New Public ◽  
Available Information

Health education has continuously evolved and taken several distinctive forms over the decades. The emergence of new concepts such as health promotion and health literacy have helped to shape and refine our understanding of how the purpose, content and methods of health education can adapt with to new public health methods and priorities. Viewing health education through the lens of health literacy has been particularly helpful in differentiating between traditional task-focused health education, and skills-focused health education designed to develop more generic, transferable skills. The advent of digital media has enabled unprecedented access to health information but brought with it new challenges. Managing the volume of available information, and assessing its quality and reliability have become essential digital health literacy skills in the information age. As health educators we need to continue to adapt our practices to these new opportunities and understand the challenges that come with them.

scholarly journals Electronic Health Literacy in Swiss-German Parents: Cross-Sectional Study of eHealth Literacy Scale Unidimensionality

10.2196/14492 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. e14492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibylle Juvalta ◽  
Matthew J Kerry ◽  
Rebecca Jaks ◽  
Isabel Baumann ◽  
Julia Dratva
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ehealth Literacy ◽  
Swiss German

Background Parents often use digital media to search for information related to their children’s health. As the quantity and quality of digital sources meant specifically for parents expand, parents’ digital health literacy is increasingly important to process the information they retrieve. One of the earliest developed and widely used instruments to assess digital health literacy is the self-reported eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS). However, the eHEALS has not been psychometrically validated in a sample of parents. Given the inconsistency of the eHEALS underlying factor structure across previous reports, it is particularly important for validation to occur. Objective This study aimed to determine the factor structure of the German eHEALS measure in a sample of parents by adopting classic and modern psychometric approaches. In particular, this study sought to identify the eHEALS validity as a unidimensional index as well as the viability for potential subscales. Methods A cross-sectional design was used across two purposive sampling frames: online and paper administrations. Responses were collected between January 2018 and May 2018 from 703 Swiss-German parents. In addition to determining the sampling characteristics, we conducted exploratory factor analysis of the eHEALS by considering its ordinal structure using polychoric correlations. This analysis was performed separately for online–based and paper–based responses to examine the general factor strength of the eHEALS as a unidimensional index. Furthermore, item response theory (IRT) analyses were conducted by fitting eHEALS to a bifactor model to further inspect its unidimensionality and subscale viability. Results Parents in both samples were predominantly mothers (622/703, 88.5%), highly educated (538/703, 76.9%), of Swiss nationality (489/703, 71.8%), and living with a partner (692/703, 98.4%). Factor analyses of the eHEALS indicated the presence of a strong general factor across both paper and online samples, and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test indicated that the eHEALS total sum score was not significantly different between the paper and online samples (P=.12). Finally, the IRT analyses indicated negligible multidimensionality, insufficient subscale reliability after accounting for the eHEALS general factor, and a reduced subset of items that could serve as a unidimensional index of the eHEALS across the paper and online samples. Conclusions The German eHEALS evidenced good psychometric properties in a parent-specific study sample. Factor analyses indicated a strong general factor across purposively distinct sample frames (online and paper). IRT analyses validated the eHEALS as a unidimensional index while failing to find support for subscale usage.

scholarly journals 31.C. Workshop: Development and implementation of action plans on health literacy

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Action Plans

Abstract Health literacy (HL) has become an important topic in many countries. As HL - meaning the ability to access, understand, appraise and apply health information (Sørensen et al. 2012) - is important to make sound health decisions, to promote health and to take an active part in managing health and illness in everyday life and navigating the health care system. In the modern digital knowledge society, HL is also indispensable for orienting oneself in the abundance of mostly digital health information, including incorrect and false information, for locating reliable information and for assessing the trustworthiness and quality of information. However, available studies show that HL is insufficient in many countries. Low HL has - as many studies show - negative social consequences ranging from unhealthy behaviour, higher risk for diseases, less self-care and deficits in coping with illness and chronicity, to over- and misuse (extensive use) of health care. The promotion of HL is therefore an important public health task. An increasing number of population studies and policy documents currently underline this. The WHO has therefore included HL into many of its strategies, like the declarations of Shanghai (2016) and Astana (2018), and has published several publications focusing on HL, like the Solid Facts (2013), the 57th Health Evidence Network Report (2018) or the Roadmap for Implementing Health Literacy Activities (2019). In many countries, strategies and national action plans to improve HL have been developed in response to the political call for action, e.g. in Scotland, Germany and recently also in Portugal. Other countries and regions are currently working on the development of a HL action plan, e.g. Belgium and the WHO European Region action plan on HL. The development and especially the implementation strategies of action plans in different countries and the experiences gained will be discussed comparatively in the workshop. Following an introduction (10'), two countries, which already have action plans will introduce their implementation strategy in one presentation each: Germany and Portugal (30'). This will be followed by two presentations of countries/regions in which action plans are currently being developed: Belgium and WHO Europe (30'). Afterwards the participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss on the different strategies (20'). The workshop will help other initiatives to successfully develop and implement policy plans and strategies in different fields of public health. Key messages Strategies and national action plans to improve HL have been developed in different countries/regions. It is important to reflect on the chosen development and implementation strategies and to discuss their effects, successes and barriers.

Perceived Oral Health Literacy, Behaviors, and Oral Health Care among Caregivers to the Homebound Population

2021 ◽  
pp. 108482232110084
Author(s):  
Agata Wilk ◽  
Lisa LaSpina ◽  
Linda D. Boyd ◽  
Jared Vineyard
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Oral Care ◽  
Oral Health Care ◽  
The Body ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Oral Health Literacy ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

This study aimed to explore the level of perceived oral health literacy (OHL) among caregivers of the homebound population in the Chicago metropolitan area and how caregivers’ OHL impacts their oral care to the homebound population. The relationships between demographic characteristics, perceived OHL levels, personal oral health behaviors, and oral health care to clients were also assessed. This cross-sectional survey research examined 69 caregivers of the homebound population employed by home health agencies. The OHL was determined by the validated Health Literacy in Dentistry Scale (HeLD-14). Independent t-tests, chi-square tests set at p < .05 significance level, and logistic regressions were used for analysis. The mean age of participants was 43. The HeLD-14 scores indicated a high perceived OHL among this group. Caregivers came from diverse groups, and the majority spoke a second language at home. About 93% performed oral self-care the recommended amount of time or more, while only 57% did it for their clients. Those who cleaned clients’ mouth twice a day had a higher OHL score ( M = 23 compared to M = 19). About 43% did not check for sores in the client’s mouth, and those who checked had a higher OHL score ( M = 25 compared to M = 19). Controlling for OHL, age was a good predictor of oral care frequency to clients. These findings provide current evidence and add to the body of knowledge on OHL among homebound individuals. The results provide insights for designing a preventive approach in oral health care to the homebound population.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Misinformation Online and Health Literacy: A Brief Overview

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 8091
Author(s):  
Salman Bin Naeem ◽  
Maged N. Kamel Boulos
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Information Content ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
The World ◽  
Synergistic Approach ◽  
Viral Nature

Low digital health literacy affects large percentages of populations around the world and is a direct contributor to the spread of COVID-19-related online misinformation (together with bots). The ease and ‘viral’ nature of social media sharing further complicate the situation. This paper provides a quick overview of the magnitude of the problem of COVID-19 misinformation on social media, its devastating effects, and its intricate relation to digital health literacy. The main strategies, methods and services that can be used to detect and prevent the spread of COVID-19 misinformation, including machine learning-based approaches, health literacy guidelines, checklists, mythbusters and fact-checkers, are then briefly reviewed. Given the complexity of the COVID-19 infodemic, it is very unlikely that any of these approaches or tools will be fully effective alone in stopping the spread of COVID-19 misinformation. Instead, a mixed, synergistic approach, combining the best of these strategies, methods, and services together, is highly recommended in tackling online health misinformation, and mitigating its negative effects in COVID-19 and future pandemics. Furthermore, techniques and tools should ideally focus on evaluating both the message (information content) and the messenger (information author/source) and not just rely on assessing the latter as a quick and easy proxy for the trustworthiness and truthfulness of the former. Surveying and improving population digital health literacy levels are also essential for future infodemic preparedness.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document