Coronavirus-Related Health Literacy: A Cross-Sectional Study in Adults during the COVID-19 Infodemic in Germany

Abstract

There is an “infodemic” associated with the COVID-19 pandemic—an overabundance of valid and invalid information. Health literacy is the ability to access, understand, appraise, and apply health information, making it crucial for navigating coronavirus and COVID-19 information environments. A cross-sectional representative study of participants ≥ 16 years in Germany was conducted using an online survey. A coronavirus-related health literacy measure was developed (HLS-COVID-Q22). Internal consistency was very high (α = 0.940; ρ = 0.891) and construct validity suggests a sufficient model fit, making HLS-COVID-Q22 a feasible tool for assessing coronavirus-related health literacy in population surveys. While 49.9% of our sample had sufficient levels of coronavirus-related health literacy, 50.1% had “problematic” (15.2%) or “inadequate” (34.9%) levels. Although the overall level of health literacy is high, a vast number of participants report difficulties dealing with coronavirus and COVID-19 information. The participants felt well informed about coronavirus, but 47.8% reported having difficulties judging whether they could trust media information on COVID-19. Confusion about coronavirus information was significantly higher among those who had lower health literacy. This calls for targeted public information campaigns and promotion of population-based health literacy for better navigation of information environments during the infodemic, identification of disinformation, and decision-making based on reliable and trustworthy information.

Associations between COVID-19-Related Digital Health Literacy and Online Information-Seeking Behavior among Portuguese University Students

“…In addition, students who used Wikipedia, other online encyclopedias and social media more frequently were less likely to achieve a sufficient level of DHL with regard to "assessing the reliability" of health information. A study on coronavirus and COVID-19-related HL in German adults found that respondents overall achieved a high level of HL (~50% of the participants) but reported to have difficulties in judging whether they could trust health information found online and on social media [9]. The interactive character of social media contributes to a breeding ground for misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories, which, in the worst case, can lead to harmful or risky behavior [32].…”

“…Hence, strengthening HL, particularly in those with limited HL, may reduce disparities and promote greater equity in health [8]. A recent study on coronavirus and COVID-19-related HL in German adults (≥16 years) found 50.1% of the population to have difficulties in dealing with coronavirus and COVID-19-related health information in their everyday lives [9]. The greatest challenge was to judge whether media information on the coronavirus and COVID-19 was reliable, with almost half of the population reporting difficulties in this area.…”

“…This emphasizes the critical need for HL and DHL. The uncertainty due to massive amounts of information is significantly higher among those with lower HL, females, those who have children, and those who are younger [9]. Research also shows that overabundance of information not only leads to confusion and uncertainty, but is also associated with health outcomes.…”

Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Measure Knowledge of and Attitude toward COVID-19 among Nursing Students in Greece

“…This term refers to the fake news and rumors in the context of the misinformation that feeds confusion against slowing the spread of disease [7]. With respect to this phenomenon, WHO states that reducing misconceptions and confusion about the virus and dealing effectively with the vast amount of valid and invalid coronavirus information is a matter of necessity [7] because "misinformation costs lives" [8]. There is evidence showing the strong positive correlation between knowledge and attitude [9], and in the case of the pandemic, the more knowledgeable the citizens are, the more positive attitude they hold toward COVID 19-related measures and recommendations for health behavioral changes as preventive strategies [10].…”

Assessment of Clinical Pharmacists' Assistance for Patients With Established Cardiovascular Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights From Southern India

“…Citizens can make informed choices, defend themselves and comply with prescribed practices by focusing on what can be done during COVID-19 and when adequate resources are accessible, easily understood and communicated via reliable and accessible networks (8). Therefore, through collaboration between clinical pharmacist and cardiologist, we aimed to provide educational assistance regarding self-management practices in patients with existing cardiovascular diseases to mitigate exposure to COVID-19 infection.…”