Harnessing Information Technology for Improving eHealth Literacy Among Young Adults: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: 2023 13th International Conference on Information Technology in Medicine and Education (ITME) pp. 751 - 754
• Main Authors: Yu, Menglu, Yu, Yeqing, Zhu, Zhaofei, Wang, Ruofei, Liu, Shuyan, Zhang, Guocong, Chen, Sonia Chien-I
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 24.11.2023
• Subjects: COVID-19; e-health literacy; Education; Electronic healthcare; health resource information; influencing factors; Pandemics; Privacy; Software; Urban areas
• ISSN: 2474-3828
• DOI: 10.1109/ITME60234.2023.00154

This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on eHealth literacy among young individuals by surveying 300 university students in Qingdao City, Shandong Province. We utilized an e-health literacy questionnaire and analyzed the data using SPSS 25.0. The respondents achieved an overall e-health literacy score of \boldsymbol{28.12 \pm 8.46} , with "I know how to acquire valuable health information online" scoring the highest (\boldsymbol{3.59 \pm 0.99}) and "I know how to locate useful health information online" scoring the lowest (\boldsymbol{3.31 \pm 1.20}) . While the prevalence of COVID-19 has positively influenced university students' interest in eHealth and boosted their eHealth literacy, there remains room for improvement. Addressing privacy and security concerns in e-health software usage among young people is imperative. Guiding students through health education is essential to ensure their accurate utilization of health information, ultimately enhancing their health self-management capabilities and overall self-efficacy.