Predicting and Empowering Health for Generation Z by Comparing Health Information Seeking and Digital Health Literacy: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.

BACKGROUND: Generation Z (born 1995-2010) members are digital residents who use technology and the internet more frequently than any previous generation to learn about their health. They are increasingly moving away from conventional methods of seeking health information as technology advances quickly and becomes more widely available, resulting in a more digitalized health care system. Similar to all groups, Generation Z has specific health care requirements and preferences, and their use of technology influences how they look for health information. However, they have often been overlooked in scholarly research. OBJECTIVE: First, we aimed to identify the information-seeking preferences of older individuals and Generation Z (those between the ages of 18 and 26 years); second, we aimed to predict the effects of digital health literacy and health empowerment in both groups. We also aimed to identify factors that impact how both groups engage in digital health and remain in control of their own health. METHODS: The Health Information National Trends Survey was adopted for further use in 2022. We analyzed 1862 valid data points by conducting a survey among Chinese respondents to address the research gap. A descriptive analysis, 2-tailed t test, and multiple linear regression were applied to the results. RESULTS: When compared with previous generations, Generation Z respondents (995/1862, 53.44%) were more likely to use the internet to find out about health-related topics, whereas earlier generations relied more on traditional media and interpersonal contact. Web-based information-seeking behavior is predicted by digital health literacy (Generation Z: ß=.192, P<.001; older population: ß=.337, P<.001). While this was happening, only seeking health information from physicians positively predicted health empowerment (Generation Z: ß=.070, P=.002; older population: ß=.089, P<.001). Despite more frequent use of the internet to learn about their health, Generation Z showed lower levels of health empowerment and less desire to look for health information, overall. CONCLUSIONS: This study examined and compared the health information-seeking behaviors of Generation Z and older individuals to improve their digital health literacy and health empowerment. The 2 groups demonstrated distinct preferences regarding their choice of information sources. Health empowerment and digital health literacy were both significantly related to information-seeking behaviors.

Obesity-Related Communication in Digital Chinese News From Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan: Automated Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The fact that the number of individuals with obesity has increased worldwide calls into question media efforts for informing the public. This study attempts to determine the ways in which the mainstream digital news covers the etiology of obesity and diseases associated with the burden of obesity. OBJECTIVE: The dual objectives of this study are to obtain an understanding of what the news reports on obesity and to explore meaning in data by extending the preconceived grounded theory. METHODS: The 10 years of news text from 2010 to 2019 compared the development of obesity-related coverage and its potential impact on its perception in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Digital news stories on obesity along with affliction and inferences in 9 Chinese mainstream newspapers were sampled. An automatic content analysis tool, DiVoMiner was proposed. This computer-aided platform is designed to organize and filter large sets of data on the basis of the patterns of word occurrence and term discovery. Another programming language, Python 3, was used to explore connections and patterns created by the aggregated interactions. RESULTS: A total of 30,968 news stories were identified with increasing attention since 2016. The highest intensity of newspaper coverage of obesity communication was observed in Taiwan. Overall, a stronger focus on 2 shared causative attributes of obesity is on stress (n=4483, 33.0%) and tobacco use (n=3148, 23.2%). The burdens of obesity and cardiovascular diseases are implied to be the most, despite the aggregated interaction of edge centrality showing the highest link between the "cancer" and obesity. This study goes beyond traditional journalism studies by extending the framework of computational and customizable web-based text analysis. This could set a norm for researchers and practitioners who work on data projects largely for an innovative attempt. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to previous studies, the discourse between the obesity epidemic and personal afflictions is the most emphasized approach. Our study also indicates that the inclination of blaming personal attributes for health afflictions potentially limits social and governmental responsibility for addressing this issue.

[Women's perception, preconceptions, and information preferences for the limitations of breast cancer screening and overdiagnosis: a think-aloud study on the new information materials of the Agency for Health Protection of the Metropolitan Area of Milan]. / Percezione, pregiudizi e preferenze informative delle donne milanesi sui limiti dello screening mammografico e sulla sovradiagnosi: indagine think-aloud sul nuovo materiale comunicativo dell'Agenzia di tutela della salute della Città Metropolitana di Milano.

BACKGROUND: communicating breast cancer screening (BCS) limits and overdiagnosis implies providing complete and balanced information to allow informed decision-making. OBJECTIVES: to describe women's perceptions, preconceptions, and information preferences regarding the breast cancer screening (BCS) programme paper and web information materials of the Agency for Health Protection of the Metropolitan Area of Milan (Lombardy Region, Northern Italy). DESIGN: qualitative, descriptive study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: participants' voluntary recruitment took place in the registration departments of three hospitals. Participants were purposively recruited based on sociodemographic characteristics of the target population of the programme (44 women aged 40-74 years, living in the Metropolitan Area of Milan). In each material type subgroup, different health literacy levels and age classes were included, until thematic saturation was reached. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: thematic analysis of qualitative data collected during think-aloud interviews. RESULTS: the thematic analysis identified 5 main themes: 1. validation of the information reported in the materials, according to the interviewees' personal experiences;2. information preferences of particular subgroups of women, which led to a tailored approach for the web materials;3. negative emotions elicited while receiving information regarding BCS limits, which guided the rewriting of certain definitions; 4. disproportioned risk perception, with greater weight attributed to the risk of false negative results than the risk of overdiagnosis; 5. organizational preferences regarding the type and frequency of the provided tests and the age limits of the programme. CONCLUSIONS: in the present sample of women living in the Metropolitan Area of Milan, knowledge and comprehension of overdiagnosis are scarce. The main reasons for distrust in the BCS programme rely on the preexisting beliefs regarding the most appropriate tests and age limits. These beliefs were established from previously received information, inconsistent with that officially provided by the programme.

Effects of functional interactivity on patients' knowledge, empowerment, and health outcomes: an experimental model-driven evaluation of a web-based intervention.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of eHealth interventions in terms of reach and outcomes is now well documented. However, there is a need to understand not only whether eHealth interventions work, but also what kind of functions and mechanisms enhance their effectiveness. The present investigation contributes to tackling these challenges by investigating the role played by functional interactivity on patients' knowledge, empowerment, and health outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To test whether health knowledge and empowerment mediate a possible relationship between the availability of interactive features on an eHealth application and individuals' health outcomes. We present an empirical, model-driven evaluation of the effects of functional interactivity implemented in an eHealth application, based on a brief theoretical review of the constructs of interactivity, health knowledge, empowerment, and health outcomes. We merged these constructs into a theoretical model of interactivity effects that we tested on an eHealth application for patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). METHODS: This study used a pretest-posttest experimental design. We recruited 165 patients and randomly assigned them to three study groups, corresponding to different levels of functional interactivity. Eligibility to participate in the study required that patients (1) be fluent in Italian, (2) have access to the Internet, (3) report confidence in how to use a computer, and (4) have received a diagnosis of FMS from a doctor. We used structural equation modeling techniques to analyze changes between the pretest and the posttest results. RESULTS: The main finding was that functional interactivity had no impact on empowerment dimensions, nor direct observable effects on knowledge. However, knowledge positively affected health outcomes (b = -.12, P = .02), as did the empowerment dimensions of meaning (b = -.49, P < .001) and impact (b = -.25, P < .001). CONCLUSION: The theoretical model was partially confirmed, but only as far as the effects of knowledge and empowerment were concerned. The differential effect of interactive functions was by far weaker than expected. The strong impact of knowledge and empowerment on health outcomes suggests that these constructs should be targeted and enhanced by eHealth applications.

First insights on the validity of the concept of Cancer Literacy: a test in a sample of Ticino (Switzerland) residents.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a measure of Cancer Literacy and have a first insight into the validity of the concept. METHODS: A measure of Cancer Literacy was developed and administered to a sample of Ticino (Switzerland) residents (N=639). Internal consistency, test-retest reliability and construct validity of the measure were assessed. RESULTS: The Cancer Literacy Score (CLS) showed acceptable internal consistency and 4-week test-retest reliability. Independent-samples t-tests and one-way ANOVAs confirmed that women, Swiss citizens, people with higher educational levels, people with a medical qualification, and people who had played an active role in the cancer experience of a family member or a friend presented significantly higher CLS. Correlational analyses indicated a more positive attitude towards screening participation and engagement in health-promoting behaviours in people with higher levels of Cancer Literacy. CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The Cancer Literacy scale provides us with evidence of the validity of our conceptual attempt to go in the direction of a context- and content-specific concept of health literacy. Despite some limitations and the need for further refinement before it can be applied on a larger scale, the scale already offers Ticino researchers and public health workers a comprehensive measure of cancer knowledge.