The relationship between eHealth literacy, social media self-efficacy and health communication intention among Chinese nursing undergraduates: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundWith the popularization of the Internet, it has become possible to widely disseminate health information via social media. Medical staff's health communication through social media can improve the public's health literacy, and improving the intention of health communication among nursing undergraduates is of great significance for them to actively carry out health communication after entering clinical practice.ObjectiveTo explore the relationship among eHealth literacy, social media self-efficacy, and health communication intention and to determine the mediating role of social media self-efficacy in the relationship between eHealth literacy and health communication intention.DesignA cross-sectional descriptive correlation design was used in this study.ParticipantsStratified cluster sampling was used to select 958 nursing students from four nursing colleges in Jiangsu Province, China, from June to July 2021.MethodsData were collected using the eHealth Literacy Scale, the Social Media Self-efficacy Scale, and the Health Communication Intention Questionnaire. Sociodemographic data were also collected. Correlation analysis and regression analysis were used to determine the relationship between eHealth literacy, social media self-efficacy, and health communication intention.ResultsHealth communication intention is positively correlated with eHealth literacy and social media self-efficacy. There is a significant positive correlation between eHealth literacy and health communication intention (β = 0.57, p < 0.001), and social media self-efficacy played a mediating role in the influence of eHealth literacy on health communication intention (the mediating effect accounted for 37.2% of the total effect).ConclusionThe study found that eHealth literacy and social media self-efficacy had an impact on health communication intention. Because there is a correlation between eHealth literacy and social media self-efficacy and health communication intention, in order to promote health communication intention of nursing students, it is also important to cultivate eHealth literacy and social media self-efficacy of nursing students. In view of these results, targeted educational programs must be developed to improve eHealth literacy and social media self-efficacy among nursing undergraduates, thereby promoting their health information transmission.

The Influence of eHealth Literacy and Self-Efficacy on Online Health Information-Seeking Behaviour among University Students: Cyberchondria as a Mediator

“…Despite a moderate correlation, the results were statistically significant, corresponding with previous research by Filabadi et al (2020) and Sögüt et al (2022) that discovered a similar association between these two factors, whereby individuals with greater eHealth literacy were more likely to have higher self-efficacy. Likewise, self-efficacy was found to have a role in the influence of eHealth literacy (Niu et al, 2020;Sun et al, 2022). Therefore, individuals who exhibited a heightened confidence in navigating online health information were found to possess superior eHealth literacy compared to their counterparts lacking such confidence.…”

“…These factors should be considered when strategising and designing health information interventions. Similarly, other factors influencing this online health information-seeking Similarly, self-efficacy mediates the effect of health literacy on health behavioural intentions in the context of social media, pinpointing a relatively stronger association between health literacy and selfefficacy, particularly among younger demographics, whereby self-efficacy, particularly on social media is connected to bear a mediating role in the influence of eHealth literacy (Niu et al, 2020;Sun et al, 2022). Furthermore, an individual with enhanced self-efficacy is deduced to be more likely to engage in the health information search online for "health awareness opportunities and feel empowered (being in control of one's own health)" (Efthymiou et al, 2017, p. 4).…”

“…Meanwhile, Sun et al (2022) found that eHealth literacy was positively associated with selfefficacy, and both eHealth literacy and self-efficacy were positively associated with health informationseeking behaviour. This means that those with greater confidence in their ability to find and use health information are more likely to seek out health information online.…”

Topics Included in Health Literacy Studies in Asia: A Systematic Review

“…124 With six research articles, eHealth literacy in China was surveyed in patients, university students with or without medical majors, internet users, and the general population from the age of 18. [125][126][127][128][129][130] Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia all had eHealth literacy surveys for students who had better access to digital data. [131][132][133] In addition, each country had an additional study on different population groups, including people aged 18 and above in Taiwan, 134 outpatients in Vietnam, 135 and low-income people in Malaysia.…”

Factors affecting the willingness of patients with type 2 diabetes to use digital disease management applications: a cross-sectional study

“…Scholars following the Norman perspective define eHealth literacy as the capacity to locate, comprehend, and assess health-related information derived from electronic sources and apply this information to address physical health concerns ( 25 ). It has been postulated that eHealth literacy exerts a positive influence on the willingness to embrace mHealth ( 26 ). This theory also finds relevance in the present study, emphasizing the significance of eHealth literacy among individuals with type 2 diabetes, and investigating whether it directly impacts the intention to utilize such technologies.…”