TY - JOUR

T1 - Health literacy, digital health literacy, and COVID-19 pandemic attitudes and behaviors in U.S. college students

T2 - Implications for interventions

AU - Patil, Uday

AU - Kostareva, Uliana

AU - Hadley, Molly

AU - Manganello, Jennifer A.

AU - Okan, Orkan

AU - Dadaczynski, Kevin

AU - Massey, Philip M.

AU - Agner, Joy

AU - Sentell, Tetine

PY - 2021/3/23

Y1 - 2021/3/23

N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by rapidly emerging evidence, changing guidance, and misinformation, which present new challenges for health literacy (HL) and digital health literacy (DHL) skills. This study explored whether COVID-19-related information access, attitudes, and behaviors were associated with health literacy and digital health literacy among college students in the United States. Self-reported measures of health literacy, along with items on pandemic-related attitudes, behaviors, information sources, and social networks, were collected online using a managed research panel. In July 2020, 256 responses were collected, which mirrored the racial/ethnic and gender diversity of U.S. colleges. Only 49% reported adequate HL, and 57% found DHL tasks easy overall. DHL did not vary by HL level. In multivariable models, both HL and DHL were independently associated with overall compliance with basic preventive practices. Higher DHL, but not HL, was significantly associated with greater willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine and the belief that acquiring the disease would negatively impact their life. On average, respondents discussed health with 4–5 people, which did not vary by HL or DHL measures. The usage of online information sources varied by HL and DHL. The study findings can inform future student-focused interventions, including identifying the distinct roles of HL and DHL in pandemic information access, attitudes, and behaviors.

AB - The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by rapidly emerging evidence, changing guidance, and misinformation, which present new challenges for health literacy (HL) and digital health literacy (DHL) skills. This study explored whether COVID-19-related information access, attitudes, and behaviors were associated with health literacy and digital health literacy among college students in the United States. Self-reported measures of health literacy, along with items on pandemic-related attitudes, behaviors, information sources, and social networks, were collected online using a managed research panel. In July 2020, 256 responses were collected, which mirrored the racial/ethnic and gender diversity of U.S. colleges. Only 49% reported adequate HL, and 57% found DHL tasks easy overall. DHL did not vary by HL level. In multivariable models, both HL and DHL were independently associated with overall compliance with basic preventive practices. Higher DHL, but not HL, was significantly associated with greater willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine and the belief that acquiring the disease would negatively impact their life. On average, respondents discussed health with 4–5 people, which did not vary by HL or DHL measures. The usage of online information sources varied by HL and DHL. The study findings can inform future student-focused interventions, including identifying the distinct roles of HL and DHL in pandemic information access, attitudes, and behaviors.

KW - College student

KW - Coronavirus

KW - COVID-19

KW - Digital health literacy

KW - EHealth literacy

KW - Health literacy

KW - Online survey

KW - Social network

KW - Health sciences

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85103005257&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/ijerph18063301

DO - 10.3390/ijerph18063301

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 33806763

AN - SCOPUS:85103005257

VL - 18

JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

SN - 1661-7827

IS - 6

M1 - 3301

ER -