Low health literacy and evaluation of online health information: A systematic review of the literature
TLDR
Current evidence indicates that low health literacy (and related skills) play a role in the evaluation of online health information, and future research in this field should specifically focus on health literacy.Abstract:
Background: Recent years have witnessed a dramatic increase in consumer online health information seeking. The quality of online health information, however, remains questionable. The issue of information evaluation has become a hot topic, leading to the development of guidelines and checklists to design high-quality online health information. However, little attention has been devoted to how consumers, in particular people with low health literacy, evaluate online health information. Objective: The main aim of this study was to review existing evidence on the association between low health literacy and (1) people’s ability to evaluate online health information, (2) perceived quality of online health information, (3) trust in online health information, and (4) use of evaluation criteria for online health information. Methods: Five academic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Communication and Mass-media Complete) were systematically searched. We included peer-reviewed publications investigating differences in the evaluation of online information between people with different health literacy levels. Results: After abstract and full-text screening, 38 articles were included in the review. Only four studies investigated the specific role of low health literacy in the evaluation of online health information. The other studies examined the association between educational level or other skills-based proxies for health literacy, such as general literacy, and outcomes. Results indicate that low health literacy (and related skills) are negatively related to the ability to evaluate online health information and trust in online health information. Evidence on the association with perceived quality of online health information and use of evaluation criteria is inconclusive. Conclusions: The findings indicate that low health literacy (and related skills) play a role in the evaluation of online health information. This topic is therefore worth more scholarly attention. Based on the results of this review, future research in this field should (1) specifically focus on health literacy, (2) devote more attention to the identification of the different criteria people use to evaluate online health information, (3) develop shared definitions and measures for the most commonly used outcomes in the field of evaluation of online health information, and (4) assess the relationship between the different evaluative dimensions and the role played by health literacy in shaping their interplay.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Trust and Credibility in Web-Based Health Information: A Review and Agenda for Future Research
Laura Sbaffi,Jennifer Rowley +1 more
TL;DR: A profile of the research conducted on trust and credibility in WHI seeking is presented, to identify the factors that impact judgments of trustworthiness and credibility, and to explore the role of demographic factors affecting trust formation.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Use of Mobile Apps and SMS Messaging as Physical and Mental Health Interventions: Systematic Review
TL;DR: A systematic review of available mHealth apps and SMS services and their ever improving quality necessitates a systematic review in the area in reference to reduction of symptomology, adherence to intervention, and usability shows promising and emerging efficacy.
Journal ArticleDOI
Fear of COVID-19 Scale-Associations of Its Scores with Health Literacy and Health-Related Behaviors among Medical Students.
Hiep T. Nguyen,Binh N. Do,Khue M. Pham,Giang Bao Kim,Hoa T.B. Dam,Trung T. Nguyen,Thao T.P. Nguyen,Thao T.P. Nguyen,Yen H. Nguyen,Kristine Sørensen,Andrew Pleasant,Tuyen Van Duong +11 more
TL;DR: In conclusion, the FCoV-19S is valid and reliable in screening for fear of COVID-19 and health literacy was found to protect medical students from fear.
Journal ArticleDOI
Development of the Digital Health Literacy Instrument: Measuring a Broad Spectrum of Health 1.0 and Health 2.0 Skills
TL;DR: The DHLI can be accepted as a new self-report measure to assess digital health literacy, using multiple subscales and its performance-based items provide an indication of actual skills but should be studied and adapted further.
Journal ArticleDOI
Health Literacy and Use and Trust in Health Information
Xuewei Chen,Jennifer L. Hay,Erika A. Waters,Marc T. Kiviniemi,Caitlin Biddle,Elizabeth Schofield,Yuelin Li,Kimberly A. Kaphingst,Heather Orom +8 more
TL;DR: People with limited health literacy had higher rates of using and trusting sources such as social media and blogs, which might contain lower quality health information compared to information from healthcare professionals, and it might be necessary to enhance the public’s ability to evaluate the quality of health information sources.
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