Analysis of Digital Literacy in Health through Active University Teaching

Area of Science:

• Health Education
• Digital Literacy
• Bio-health Sciences

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for global, digital knowledge transformation.
• Improving public health skills requires training professionals in health education.
• Pre-service teachers need enhanced skills in accessing bio-health scientific knowledge via digital literacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess pre-service teachers' eHealth literacy and health scientific knowledge.
• To evaluate the impact of a teaching intervention on these skills and confidence.
• To analyze improvements in digital literacy for bio-health information retrieval.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental longitudinal study with pre-test and post-test design.
• Mixed data analysis incorporating an active cooperative methodology (jigsaw technique) with tutoring.
• Utilized four quality digital browsers to enhance scientific rigor in information searching.

Main Results:

• Initial eHealth literacy and confidence levels among students were identified as problematic.
• Post-intervention, significant improvements were observed in eHealth literacy and confidence.
• Students achieved an excellent level of scientific knowledge in health after the intervention.

Conclusions:

• Current university training programs are insufficient in developing essential digital and scientific health skills.
• A cooperative active methodology effectively enhances eHealth literacy and scientific knowledge in health.
• Promoting active, digital cooperative methodologies in higher education is recommended for improved health education.