Can a validated website help improve university students' e-health literacy?

ABSTRACT

Background: The fight against fake news, mainly spread through Internet, is a major public health issue, even among undergraduate students. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a website promoted by the Italian Federation of the Provincial Orders of the Medical Doctors as a first aid communication kit for health topics. Study design: Pre-post study using a web-based survey, conducted in April-May 2019 on Medical students and October-November 2020 on Communication Sciences students at the University of Florence (Italy). Methods: Undergraduate students of both schools were exposed to the use of the "dottoremaeveroche" website. Primary and secondary outcomes measures: the Italian-electronic Health Literacy Scale self-assessment tool was used to examine subjects' electronic Health literacy, and source quality. All responses were rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Changing in perception of abilities were examined using the Wilcoxon test. Results: The 362 participants felt moderately confident in electronic Health Literacy, with an initial Italian-electronic Health Literacy Scale overall mean score of 3.6±0.7 for medical and 3.2±0.8 for communication students. Medical students had a good idea of how to find helpful sources (3.9±0.8) and communication students felt confident in recognizing their quality (3.5±1.0). In contrast, their confidence in using Web information to make health decisions was low (medical 2.9±1.1; communication 2.8±1.1). All items improved significantly after "dottoremaeveroche" use (p<.001), with the overall mean score of Italian-electronic Health Literacy Scale increasing to 4.3±0.6 for medical and 4.1±0.8 for communication students. Conclusions: Low electronic health literacy levels can affect public health efforts, as seen during the COVID- 19 pandemic. The effectiveness of "dottoremaeveroche" among students showed the usefulness of online educational interventions that, if further implemented, could help combat the spread of infodemic.