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Article

Digital Health Literacy and Information-Seeking in the Era of COVID-19: Gender Differences Emerged from a Florentine University Experience

by
Guglielmo Bonaccorsi
1,2,
Veronica Gallinoro
3,
Andrea Guida
3,
Chiara Morittu
3,*,
Valerio Ferro Allodola
1,
Vieri Lastrucci
1,4,
Patrizio Zanobini
1,2,
Orkan Okan
5,
Kevin Dadaczynski
6,7 and
Chiara Lorini
1,2
1
Department of Health Science, University of Florence, Morgagni Blvd 48, 50134 Florence, Italy
2
Health Literacy Laboratory, Department of Health Science, University of Florence, Morgagni Blvd 48, 50134 Florence, Italy
3
School of Specialization in Public Health, University of Florence, Morgagni Blvd 48, 50134 Florence, Italy
4
Epidemiology Unit, Meyer Children’s University Hospital, 50139 Florence, Italy
5
Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University Munich, Uptown München-Campus D, Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62, 80092 Munich, Germany
6
Department of Health Sciences, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, 36037 Fulda, Germany
7
Center for Applied Health Science, Leuphana University Lueneburg, 21335 Lueneburg, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2611; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032611
Submission received: 2 January 2023 / Revised: 26 January 2023 / Accepted: 30 January 2023 / Published: 31 January 2023
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Abstract

Gender appears to be a strong predictor of online health information-seeking behaviour (OHISB), which is related to Digital Health Literacy (DHL). Gender differences in OHISB have been studied in different countries with different results, but no studies have investigated gender-specific OHISB among University students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to investigate any gender differences in OHISB in the period between the first and second waves of the pandemic in Italian university students. A questionnaire developed by the global COVID-HL network, including existing and adapted validated scales and self-developed scales, was administered to 2996 University students in Florence. Gender differences were tested using the χ2 test or the Mann–Whitney U test. Male students reported a higher score in DHL than females (p < 0.001). However, female students seek COVID-19 information more often on different sources (for themselves and other people), on various topics, consider various aspects of information quality to be “very important’’ (p < 0.05) and are more likely to be “often dissatisfied’’ or ”partly satisfied’’ with information (p < 0.001). Our study confirmed gender as an important dimension to explain students’ OHISB differences, which could help institutions promote gender-specific education programmes and provide gender-oriented health information.
Keywords: gender differences; COVID-19; online health information seeking behaviour; Digital Health Literacy gender differences; COVID-19; online health information seeking behaviour; Digital Health Literacy

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Bonaccorsi, G.; Gallinoro, V.; Guida, A.; Morittu, C.; Ferro Allodola, V.; Lastrucci, V.; Zanobini, P.; Okan, O.; Dadaczynski, K.; Lorini, C. Digital Health Literacy and Information-Seeking in the Era of COVID-19: Gender Differences Emerged from a Florentine University Experience. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 2611. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032611

AMA Style

Bonaccorsi G, Gallinoro V, Guida A, Morittu C, Ferro Allodola V, Lastrucci V, Zanobini P, Okan O, Dadaczynski K, Lorini C. Digital Health Literacy and Information-Seeking in the Era of COVID-19: Gender Differences Emerged from a Florentine University Experience. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(3):2611. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032611

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bonaccorsi, Guglielmo, Veronica Gallinoro, Andrea Guida, Chiara Morittu, Valerio Ferro Allodola, Vieri Lastrucci, Patrizio Zanobini, Orkan Okan, Kevin Dadaczynski, and Chiara Lorini. 2023. "Digital Health Literacy and Information-Seeking in the Era of COVID-19: Gender Differences Emerged from a Florentine University Experience" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 3: 2611. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032611

APA Style

Bonaccorsi, G., Gallinoro, V., Guida, A., Morittu, C., Ferro Allodola, V., Lastrucci, V., Zanobini, P., Okan, O., Dadaczynski, K., & Lorini, C. (2023). Digital Health Literacy and Information-Seeking in the Era of COVID-19: Gender Differences Emerged from a Florentine University Experience. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 2611. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032611

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