eHealth Literacy: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Among Italian Adolescents

Background: eHealth literacy (eHL) is the ability to seek, find, understand, and apply digital health information. Adolescents often overestimate their eHL skills, potentially leading to poor health decisions and posing a public health concern. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward eHL and seeking health information online among a sample of Italian adolescents aged 10-19 to identify the sociodemographic characteristics and other variables that are associated with the outcomes of interest. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire, including the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS). Results: A total of 793 Italian adolescents from seven public schools in Naples, southern Italy, participated in the survey. Among the participants, 58.6% had an eHEALS score below 27. A higher eHL was associated with being male, perceiving the Internet as useful for health decisions, the use of electronic devices for seeking health information, consulting institutional/scientific sources, having a mother with lower education, and having parents without underlying chronic conditions. Additionally, a higher eHL, male sex, younger age, and Internet use for seeking health information in the last three months were linked to perceiving the Internet as a helpful tool for health decision making. Conclusions: Overall, Italian adolescents reported suboptimal eHL with sex, attitudes, and parental factors playing significant roles. Targeted educational interventions are needed to enhance eHL in this specific age group.