The mediating effects of digital literacy and self-efficacy on the relationship between learning attitudes and Ehealth literacy in nursing students: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: eHealth literacy (eHL) is considered an important competency among healthcare providers in healthcare systems, especially following the introduction of information and communication technologies. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the relationship and direction of factors affecting nursing students' eHL in an online learning environment. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: Three nursing colleges located in Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do in Korea. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 259 nursing students aged 18-29 years who lived in the Seoul metropolitan area. METHODS: Self-reported data on variables including attitudes toward online learning, digital literacy, self-efficacy, and eHL, were collected and analyzed using an independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance. The mediating effects were verified through the bootstrapping method using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. RESULTS: The results indicated that although attitudes toward online learning affected digital literacy, they did not directly influence eHL. Additionally, digital literacy and self-efficacy were also found to be associated with eHL and mediate the relationship between online learning attitudes and eHL. CONCLUSIONS: As online nursing education rapidly becomes commonplace due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attitudes toward online learning, digital literacy, and self-efficacy must be improved to enhance eHL.

The Association between Olfactory Function and Cognitive Impairment in Older Persons with Cognitive Impairments: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Olfactory function is an emerging topic of research in the fields of cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases. We aimed to confirm the association between olfactory function and cognitive impairment by assessing the olfactory function of older persons with cognitive impairment and identify whether olfactory function is associated with cognitive impairment. For this study, we recruited 117 older people aged ≥65 years with cognitive impairments from a public hospital in Korea. We used the Korean version of the expanded clinical dementia rating scale to evaluate participants' cognitive impairments, and the University of Pennsylvania's smell identification test to assess their olfactory function. Our results indicate a significant negative correlation between olfactory function and all domains of cognitive impairment (memory, orientation, judgement and problem-solving, community affairs, home and hobbies, and personal care). In addition, olfactory function was a factor associated with cognitive impairment in older persons. Therefore, we expect that our results to provide useful data for the development of interventions using olfactory stimulation to improve cognitive function in older persons with cognitive impairment.