Digital health literacy and online information-seeking behavior of Lebanese university students in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic

Abstract

This cross-sectional study evaluated digital health literacy (DHL) and web-based information-seeking behavior of Lebanese university students. A total of 602 students (60.1% female), 21.5 years (±4.1), participated in May-August 2020 in an online survey. We found that 76.2% used the Internet, in the past month, for COVID-19-related information. Those with a chronic health impairment more often had limited DHL for adding self-generated content (OR=0.448; 95 % CI=0.185, 1.085) and for determining relevance (OR=0.276; 95 %CI=0.114-0.670). Students in graduate studies had higher odds of having sufficient DHL for adding self-generated content (OR=2.328; 95 % CI=1.104, 4.909) and evaluating reliability (OR=2.318; 95 % CI=1.149, 4.679). Users of official sources of information had higher odds (OR=1.665; 95 % CI=1.065, 2.605) of having sufficient DHL for adding self-generated content. Regular users of social media had lower odds (OR=0.576; 95 % CI=0.358, 0.928) of having sufficient DHL for evaluating reliability. Self-efficacy, in this case oneʼs potential to accomplish a search for reliable health information and adopt it in daily life, could improve with DHL. As such, health education needs to strengthen DHL competencies in university students, particularly among undergraduates, those relying on social media, and those with an existing health impairment.