Electronic health literacy and its association with lifestyle behavior among undergraduate students: A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Background This study aims to assess healthy lifestyle behaviors among undergraduate students and determine the association between electronic health literacy with lifestyle behavior among undergraduate Jordanian university students. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. The study recruited 404 participants utilizing undergraduate students from public and private universities. The e-Health literacy scale was used to assess the level of health information literacy among university students. Results Data were collected from 404 participants who reported very good health status, the majority of the participants were female 57.2% with an average age of 19.3 years. The results showed that participants had good health behavior in terms of exercise, taking breakfast, smoking status, and sleeping status. The results have shown an inadequate level of e-Health literacy 16.61 (SD = 4.10) out of 40. The vast majority of students, in terms of their attitudes toward the Internet, thought that Internet health information was very useful/useful (95.8%). Also, they thought that online health information was very important /important (97.3%). The results showed that students who were attending public universities had higher e-Health literacy scores rather than those who were attending private universities, t (402) = 1.81, p = .014. The mean e-Health literacy score for nonmedical students was higher than those for medical students ( p = .022). Conclusion The study's findings provide important insights into the health behaviors and electronic health literacy of undergraduate students in Jordanian universities, and offer valuable guidance for future health education programs and policies aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles in this population.