Effect of e-Health Literacy on COVID-19 Infection-Preventive Behaviors of Undergraduate Students Majoring in Healthcare

Abstract

This study examined and verified the level of e-health literacy (e-HL) and infection preventive behaviors related to COVID-19 among undergraduate students majoring in healthcare. An online survey was conducted with 274 university students majoring in nursing, clinical pathology, and occupational therapy in South Korea. The e-HL consisted of functional, communicational, and critical literacy, and preventive behaviors were based on the Prevention Guideline on Droplet Infection. The mean score for e-HL was 3.62, with nursing students obtaining the highest scores. The overall e-HL score and the scores on its three sub-dimensions were related to infection-preventive behaviors. Moreover, e-HL affected infection-preventive behaviors (p < 0.001). Findings from this study highlight the necessity of education for improving the e-HL of undergraduate students majoring in healthcare to strengthen infection-preventive behaviors and protect patients from infectious diseases.

Keywords

• e-Health literacy
• COVID-19
• preventive behavior
• undergraduate students