Electronic health literacy and its associated factors among university students using social network sites (SNSs) in a resource-limited setting, 2022: cross-sectional study

E-health literacy is defined as an individual’s ability to look for and appraise health information from online electronic sources. In this digital age, e-health literacy is one of the most important determinants of health and health behaviors, particularly among adolescents who often influenced by information from various social network sites (SNSs) in developed countries. However, there is limited evidence regarding eHealth literacy level and its associated factors among jimma university undergraduate students using SNSs in less developed settings.

The aim of this study is to examine eHealth literacy level and its associated factors among Jimma university students using Social Network Sites, Ethiopia.

A cross-sectional study was conducted at Jimma University from June 2022 to July 2022. A multistage stratified sampling method was applied to select 794 study participants. Multivariate linear regression modeling was performed to examine the associations between the dependent and independent variables. A P value < 5% was considered statistically significant.

A total of 794 respondents (response rate 93.8%) participated in the study. The majority of the respondents (485, 61.1%) were male, with a mean age of 22.6 years. The mean e-health literacy score was (M = 26.68 (SD ± 4.90) range = 31).Year [β = 0.086; 95% CI (0.082–0.676)], urban residents [β = 0.202; 95% CI (1.341– 2.634)], SNSs for health information [β = 0.165; 95% CI (-0.998–3.190)], Membership in SNSs [β = 0.569; 95% CI (0.324-0.814)], you tube usage [β = 1.545; 95% CI (1.177–1.913)], Google usage (β = 0.898; 95% CI (0.512-1.284)], and medical application users [β = 0.194; 95% CI (-1.227- -2.595)] were significantly related to eHealth literacy.

This study indicated that the participants had a low level of eHealth literacy. In addition, year of study, previous residency, SNSs for health information, medical application user, Membership in SNSs, youtube usage and Google usages were among the factors significantly associated with e-health literacy. Expanding internet access and infrastructure across higher educational institutions are key ways to improve e-health literacy.