eHealth usage among Chinese college students: qualitative findings

Prospective association of eHealth literacy and health literacy with physical activity among Chinese college students: a multiple mediation analysis

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has decreased physical activity (PA) while increasing demand for electronic health resources. eHealth literacy (EHL) is expected to aid eHealth use and health promotion. EHL was raised on the grounds of health literacy (HL). This study explored the associations among EHL, HL, and PA in Chinese college students and identified mediating mechanisms in the EHL/HL-PA relationship.

Methods

An integrated social-cognitive model was proposed. A total of 947 Chinese college students (52.8% women, age = 19.87 ± 1.68 years) completed the three-wave data collection. Path analysis was performed.

Results

An adequate good-to-fit model was indicated. Perceived EHL (PEHL) was significantly associated with perceived HL (PHL) and HL performance (HLP); PHL was negatively related to HLP; PEHL was significantly associated with self-efficacy (SE) and social support (SS); PHL had a significant effect on SS but not SE; HLP significantly affected SS but not SE; SS and SE positively predicted intention (INT), which then predicted PA. SS mediated PEHL/PHL-INT links; SE mediated the PEHL-INT link; SS and INT jointly mediated PEHL/PHL/HLP-PA; SE and INT jointly mediated PEHL-PA.

Conclusion

Relationships among EHL, HL, and PA were explored with multiple mediating mechanisms identified. Differential SE and SS roles in EHL/HL-PA links suggest new mechanisms to inform EHL/HL intervention development.

The effects of physical exercise on anxiety symptoms of college students: A meta-analysis

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an exercise intervention on improving and alleviating anxiety symptoms in college students with a meta-analytical approach.

Methods

Several databases (e.g., PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library) were used to search for randomized controlled trials (in short, RCTs) on interventions for physical exercise or aerobic exercise in college students with anxiety symptoms. Stata software, version 16.0, was applied sequentially for traditional meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, and publication bias analysis.

Results

A total of nine papers were included. The total literature effect [SMD = −0.55, 95% CI = −0.76 to −0.35, Z = 5.38 (P < 0.001)] indicated that physical activity had a significant effect on alleviating anxiety. Subgroup analysis also showed that exercise interventions using aerobic exercise or yoga were effective in relieving anxiety (SMD = −0.39, 95% CI = −0.74 to −0.04; SMD = −0.76, 95% CI = −1.14 to −0.39).

Conclusion

Physical activity interventions were shown to have a positive effect on alleviating anxiety in college students. Aerobic exercise was found to be the optimal mode.

The Association between Self-Rated Health and Health Self-Management Ability of Healthcare Undergraduates: The Chain Mediating Roles of eHealth Literacy and Resistance to Peer Influence

Health self-management is important for healthcare undergraduates who are at the late adolescent or early adulthood stage, and will play an important part in health promotion for the general population. Previous research has shown that perceived health status affects health self-management. However, few studies have uncovered the mechanism between self-rated health and health self-management among healthcare undergraduates. Based on social ecology theory and Pender's health promotion model, this study aimed to explore the associations between health self-management ability, self-rated health, eHealth literacy and resistance to peer influence of healthcare undergraduates, with a focus on identifying the mediating effects of eHealth literacy and resistance to peer influence. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 515 healthcare undergraduates in Eastern China between July and September 2021. Serial mediation analysis was performed using Haye's Model 6 PROCESS macro to examine the mediating effects. The study found that health self-management ability was significantly and positively correlated with eHealth literacy, resistance to peer influence and self-rated health. Self-rated health had a direct and positive predictive effect on health self-management, with a direct effect value of 0.654. eHealth literacy and resistance to peer influence played both an independent mediating and a chain-mediating role in the mechanism of self-rated health affecting health self-management among healthcare undergraduates, with indirect effect values of 0.085, 0.101, and 0.013, respectively. The results suggest that eHealth literacy and resistance to peer influence could be intervention targets in programs for improving these students' health self-management ability.

The Usage of Digital Health Technology of the Elderly in Hong Kong and the Role of Technology Readiness and eHealth Literacy: A Path Analysis (Preprint)

BACKGROUND

Although digital health technologies (DHTs) help many people maintain a healthy life, including those of advanced age, these technologies are of little use to older adult populations if they are not being adopted in daily life. Thus, it is critical to identify ways to help older adults recognize and try new technologies and maintain their use of them to maximize the benefits of these technologies in a digital-based society.

OBJECTIVE

Our study aimed (1) to assess the current usage of DHT among older adults in Hong Kong and (2) to examine how high and low levels of eHealth literacy in this group affects the relationship between the Technology Readiness and Acceptance Model (TRAM) and attitudes and intention toward DHT.

METHODS

A total of 306 adults over 60 years of age in Hong Kong participated in this study. After conducting confirmatory factor analysis to validate the measurement model, the hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

Optimism was significantly related to perceived usefulness, while optimism, innovativeness, and discomfort were significantly associated with perceived ease of use. Both perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were significantly linked to attitude toward the use of DHTs. Meanwhile, attitude significantly predicted usage intention. Additionally, the results revealed the differences in the relationships of the TRAM between participants with high and low levels of eHealth literacy. The influence of optimism and innovativeness on perceived ease of use was stronger for the higher-level group than for the lower-level group, and the influence of discomfort for the higher-level group was much weaker.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings provided partial support for the impact of eHealth literacy on encouraging older adults to use DHT and obtain health benefits from it. This study also suggests providing assistance and guidelines for older adults to narrow the aging-related technology gap and to further explore the associations of eHealth literacy, the TRAM, and actual behaviors.