Assessment of e-Health Literacy Levels among Students of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences in 2023

Rashidmardan, Zahra; Amanzadeh, Masoud; Naemi, Roya

[Home ] [Archive]

[ فارسی ]

Journal of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences

Main Menu

Home

Journal Information

Editorial Board

Articles archive

For Authors

For Reviewers

Editorial Policy

Registration

Contact us

indexing and abstracting

ISSN
2228-7280
eISSN
2228-7299

Indexing

Search in website

Receive site information

Creative commons

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

In Press

Back to the articles list

Back to browse issues page

Assessment of e-Health Literacy Levels among Students of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences in 2023

Zahra Rashidmardan

, Masoud Amanzadeh ^*

, Roya Naemi

Department of Health Information Management, School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran. , m.amanzadeh@arums.ac.ir

Abstract: (9 Views)

Background: Electronic health literacy refers to the skills and ability to search for, find, understand, and evaluate health information from electronic sources and to apply this information to address or manage a specific health problem. Accordingly, the present study was conducted to assess the level of e-health literacy among students of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences in 2023.
Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study collected data using the standardized eHEALS questionnaire from all students of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences. The sample size was estimated at 250 students, and the online questionnaire was distributed using a simple random sampling method. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics (one-way ANOVA and independent t-test) with SPSS software version 26.
Results: The mean electronic health literacy score of the students was 36.00±4.00. Examination of literacy levels showed that 94.4% of students were at a moderate level and 5.6% at a high level, with no students at a low level. Statistical tests revealed that only the field of study had a significant association with electronic health literacy (p=0.001), whereas gender (p=0.971), educational level (p=0.822), year of university entry (p=0.715), and internet access tool (p=0.506) had no significant associations.
Conclusion: Considering the moderate level of electronic health literacy among students, special attention to educational planning is essential. This can be achieved through workshops and training courses, raising awareness about accessing online health information, and teaching how to evaluate health information available on the internet. Institutions such as the Ministry of Health and Medical Education can play a significant role in the continuation and improvement of health system digitalization and in enhancing students’ electronic health literacy through such programs.

Keywords: Electronic Health, Electronic Health literacy, Health Information, Technology

Full-Text [PDF 518 kb] (12 Downloads)

Type of Study: article | Subject: General
Received: 2025/09/15 | Accepted: 2025/10/18

References

1. Moghaddasi H, Amanzadeh M, Rahimi F, Hamedan M. eHealth equity: current perspectives. J Int Soc Telemed eHealth. 2017;5:e9-1.

2. Yousefi M, Assari Arani A, Sahabi B, Kazemnejad A, Fazaeli S. Development of electronic health and household's health expenditure reduction. Health Inf Manag. 2014;10(6):876-86.

3. James DC, Harville C II. eHealth literacy, online help-seeking behavior, and willingness to participate in mHealth chronic disease research among African Americans, Florida, 2014-2015. Prev Chronic Dis. 2016;13:E156. [DOI:10.5888/pcd13.160210] [PMID] []

4. Xesfingi S, Vozikis A. eHealth literacy: in the quest of the contributing factors. Interact J Med Res. 2016;5(2):e4749. [DOI:10.2196/ijmr.4749] [PMID] []

5. Meskó B, Drobni Z, Bényei É, Gergely B, Győrffy Z. Digital health is a cultural transformation of traditional healthcare. Mhealth. 2017;3:38. [DOI:10.21037/mhealth.2017.08.07] [PMID] []

6. Blackstock OJ, Cunningham CO, Haughton LJ, Garner RY, Norwood C, Horvath KJ. Higher eHealth literacy is associated with HIV risk behaviors among HIV-infected women who use the internet. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2016;27(1):102-8. [DOI:10.1016/j.jana.2015.09.001] [PMID] []

7. Kitanovikj B, Koteska B, Levkov N, Velinov G, Chagoroska Z. A narrative review of e-health systems' evolution: evidence from a regional study. J Health Organ Manag. 2024;38(3):389-413. [DOI:10.1108/JHOM-12-2023-0381] [PMID]

8. Mousavi SM, Takian A, Tara M. Sixteen years of eHealth experiences in Iran: a qualitative content analysis of national policies. Health Res Policy Syst. 2021;19(1):146. [DOI:10.1186/s12961-021-00795-x] [PMID] []

9. Lwin HN, Punnakitikashem P, Thananusak T. E-health research in Southeast Asia: a bibliometric review. Sustainability. 2023;15(3):2559. [DOI:10.3390/su15032559]

10. Gupta S. E-health: a new perspective on global health. Lancet. 2020;395(10221):1439-40.

11. Xesfingi S, Vozikis A. eHealth literacy: in the quest of the contributing factors. Interact J Med Res. 2016;5(2):e4749. [DOI:10.2196/ijmr.4749] [PMID] []

12. Van der Vaart R, Drossaert C. Development of the digital health literacy instrument: measuring a broad spectrum of health 1.0 and health 2.0 skills. J Med Internet Res. 2017;19(1):e27. [DOI:10.2196/jmir.6709] [PMID] []

13. Norman C. eHealth literacy 2.0: problems and opportunities with an evolving concept. J Med Internet Res. 2011;13(4):e2035. [DOI:10.2196/jmir.2035] [PMID] []

14. Norman CD, Skinner HA. eHealth literacy: essential skills for consumer health in a networked world. J Med Internet Res. 2006;8(2):e506. [DOI:10.2196/jmir.8.2.e9] [PMID] []

15. Hosseini M, Esmaeili R, Yaghmaei F. Related factors to use computer based on 'Technology Acceptance Model'. J Health Promot Manag. 2014;3(3):69-77. [Full text in Persian]

16. Pohl AL, Griebel L, Trill R. Contemporary eHealth literacy research: an overview with focus on Germany. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2016;228:489-93.

17. Dastani M, Ansari M, Sattari M. Evaluation of eHealth literacy among non-clinical graduate students: an Iranian experience. Libr Philos Pract. 2018;1-2.

18. Khademian F, Roozrokh Arshadi Montazer M, Aslani A. Web-based health information seeking and eHealth literacy among college students: a self-report study. Investig Educ Enferm. 2020;38(1):e03. [DOI:10.17533/udea.iee.v38n1e08] [PMID] []

19. Tubaishat A, Habiballah L. eHealth literacy among undergraduate nursing students. Nurse Educ Today. 2016;42:47-52. [DOI:10.1016/j.nedt.2016.04.003] [PMID]

20. Park H, Cormier E, Gordon G, Baeg JH. Identifying health consumers' eHealth literacy to decrease disparities in accessing eHealth information. Comput Inform Nurs. 2016;34(2):71-6. [DOI:10.1097/CIN.0000000000000205] [PMID]

21. Andersson EK, Dallora AL, Marcinowicz L, Stjernberg L, Björling G, Anderberg P, et al. Self-reported eHealth literacy among nursing students in Sweden and Poland: the eNursEd cross-sectional multicentre study. Health Inform J. 2023;29(4):14604582231214588. [DOI:10.1177/14604582231214588] [PMID]

22. Mengestie ND, Yilma TM, Beshir MA, Paulos GK. eHealth literacy of medical and health science students and factors affecting eHealth literacy in an Ethiopian university: a cross-sectional study. Appl Clin Inform. 2021;12(2):301-9. [DOI:10.1055/s-0041-1727154] [PMID] []

23. Dashti S, Peyman N, Tajfard M, Esmaeeli H. E-health literacy of medical and health sciences university students in Mashhad, Iran, in 2016: a pilot study. Electron Physician. 2017;9(3):3966. [DOI:10.19082/3966] [PMID] []

Send email to the article author

Add your comments about this article