E-Health Literacy and Adherence to Health Protocols Among Self-Quarantined Patients with COVID-19 in a Sub-district in West Java

Hesty Utami Ramadaniati; Sondang Khairani; Nurul Azizah

doi:10.24071/jpsc.004176

E-Health Literacy and Adherence to Health Protocols Among Self-Quarantined Patients with COVID-19 in a Sub-district in West Java

Hesty Utami Ramadaniati, Sondang Khairani, Nurul Azizah

Abstract

During the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, valid information was crucial and electronic health literacy (EHL) plays a significant role in public adherence to health protocols. This study aimed to evaluate the pattern of COVID-19 information-seeking, and the association between EHL, COVID-19 knowledge, and health protocol adherence among patients with COVID-19 during self-quarantine. Data were collected through an online survey sent to self-quarantined COVID-19 patients during March – December 2020 in a sub-district in West Java. Spearman tests were used to evaluate the relationship between EHL with COVID-19 knowledge, and EHL with health protocol adherence. There were 56 respondents with more than half being female (58.9%), university graduates (64.3%) and having good health status level (57.1%). Social media were the commonest online sources. During self-isolation, the frequency of Internet use increased (i.e., every day) with information on vitamins and supplements as the most commonly searched. Respondents had high scores on EHL (mean= 20.0), knowledge (mean = 8.89/10, SD = 1.796), and adherence (mean = 26.98/30, SD = 3.066). This study found significant relationships between EHL and knowledge (p-value = 0.001, r = 0.436), and the adherence (p-value = 0.011, r = 0.339). In conclusion, EHL had a modest influence on COVID-19 knowledge and minor relationship with adherence to health protocols among self-quarantined patients with COVID-19.

Keywords

COVID-19; electronic health literacy; health protocol; self-quarantine

Full Text:

PDF

References

Ajzen, I., 2011. The Theory of Planned Behaviour: Reactions and Reflections. Psychology and Health, 26(9): 1113-1127.

Britt, R. K., Collins, W. B., Wilson, K., Linnemeier, G., Engleber, A. M., 2017. eHealth Literacy and Health Behaviors Affecting Modern College Students: A Pilot Study of Issues Identified by the American College Health Association. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(12): e392.

Bults, M., Beaujean, D. J.,de Zwart, O., Kok, G., van Empelen, P., Van Steenbergen, J. E., Richardus, J. H., Voeten, H. A., 2011. Perceived Risk, Anxiety, and Behavioural Responses of the General Public During the Early Phase of the Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic in the Netherlands: Results of Three Consecutive Online Surveys. BMC Public Health, 11(2): 1-13.

Castro-Sanchez, E., Chang, P. W. S., Vila-Candel, R., Escobedo, A. A., Holmes, A. H., 2016. Health Literacy and Infectious Diseases: Why Does It Matter? International Journal of Infectious Disease, 43: 103-110.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention., 2021. Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Stigma and resilience [WWW Document]. URL https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/reduce-stigma/index.html [accessed 10.11.21].

Choi, S., Bang, K. S., Shin, D. A., 2021. eHealth Literacy, Awareness of Pandemic Infectious Diseases, and Healthy Lifestyle in Middle School Students. Children (Basel), 8(8): 699-709.

Chong, Y. Y., Cheng, H. Y., Chan, H. Y. L., Chien, W. T., Wong, S. Y. S., 2020. COVID-19 Pandemic, Infodemic and the Role of eHealth iteracy. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 108: 103644.

Dadaczynski, K., Okan, O., Messer, M., Leung, A. Y. M., Rosario, R., Darlington, E.. Rathmann, K., 2021. Digital Health Literacy and Web-Based Information-Seeking Behaviors of University Students in Germany During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Survey Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(1): e24097.

Djalante, R., Lassa, J., Setiamarga, D., Mahfud, C., Sudjatma, A., Indrawan, M., Haryanto, B., Sinapoy, M., et al., 2020. Review and Analysis of Current Responses to COVID-19 in Indonesia: Period of January to March 2020. Progress in Disaster Science, 6: 100091.

Geldsetzer P., 2020. Use of Rapid Online Surveys to Assess People's Perceptions During Infectious Disease Outbreaks: A Cross-sectional Survey on COVID-19. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(4): e18790.

Gharpure, R., Hunter, C. M., Schnall, A. H., Barrett, C. E., Kirby, A. E., Kunz, J., Berling, K., Mercante, et al., 2020. Knowledge and Practices Regarding Safe Household Cleaning and Disinfection for COVID-19 Prevention - United States, Morbidity and Mortalality Weekly Report, 69(23): 705-709.

Jacobs, R.J., Lou, J.Q., Ownby, R.L., Caballero, J., 2016. A Systematic Review of eHealth Interventions to Improve Health Literacy. Health Informatics Journal, 22(2): 81-98.

Klinker, C. D., Aaby, A., Ringgaard, L. W., Hjort, A. V., Hawkins, M., Maindal, H. T., 2020. Health Literacy is Associated with Health Behaviors in Students from Vocational Education and Training Schools: A Danish Population-Based Survey. International Journal of Environtal Research and Public Health, 17(2): 671.

Leppin, A., Aro, A.R., 2009. Risk Perceptions Related to SARS and Avian Influenza: Theoretical Foundations of Current Empirical Research. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 16(1): 7-29.

Li, S., Cui, G., Kaminga, A. C., Cheng, S., Xu, H., 2021. Associations Between Health Literacy, eHealth Literacy, and COVID-19-Related Health Behaviors Among Chinese College Students: Cross-sectional Online Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(5): e25600.

Ling, M., Kothe, E. J., Mullan, B. A., 2019. Predicting Intention to Receive a Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Using Protection Motivation Theory. Social Science and Medicine, 233: 87-92.

Liu, P. L., 2020. COVID-19 Information Seeking on Digital Media and Preventive Behaviors: The Mediation Role of Worry. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 23(10): 677-682.

Lorini, C., Santomauro, F., Donzellini, M., Capecchi, L., Bechini, A., Boccalini, S., Bonanni, P., Bonaccorsi, G., 2018. Health Literacy and Vaccination: A Systematic Review. Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, 14(2): 478-488.

Neter, E., Brainin, E., 2019. Association Between Health Literacy, eHealth Literacy, and Health Outcomes Among Patients With Long-Term Conditions: A Systematic Review. European Psychologist, 24(1): 68-81.

Norman, C. D., Skinner, H. A., 2006. eHEALS: The eHealth Literacy Scale. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 8(4): e27.

Nugroho, D.C.A., Sulistiawan, D., Arifa, R.F., Gayatri, M., Puspitasari, M.D., Prabowo, F. W., 2021. eHealth Literacy and Self-care Behavior During the Coronavirus Disease-19 Pandemic Among Youths: A Path Analysis. Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 9: 722-728.

Nurhayati-Wolff, H., 2021. Penetraton Rate in Indonesia 2017-2026 [WWW Document]. URL https://www.statista.com/statistics/254460/internet-penetration-rate-in-indonesia/ (accessed 22.12. 21).

Riiser, K., Helseth, S., Haraldstad, K., Torbjornsen, A., Richardsen, K. R., 2020. Adolescents' Health Literacy, Health Protective Measures and Health-related Quality of Life during the COVID-19 Pandemic. PLoS ONE, 15(8): e0238161.

Rovetta, A., Bhagavathula, A.S., 2020. COVID-19-Related Web Search Behaviors and Infodemic Attitudes in Italy: Infodemiological Study. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 6(2): e19374.

Sarria-Guzman, Y., Fusaro, C., Bernal, J.E., Mosso-Gonzzales, C., Gonzales-Jimenez, F.E., Serrano-Silva, N., 2021. Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) Towards COVID-19 Pandemic in America: A Preliminary Systematic Review. The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries, 15(1): 1-13.

Saefi, M., Fauzi, A., Kristiana, E., Adi, W.C., Muchson, M., Setiawan, M. E., Islami, N.N., Ningrum, D.E.A.F., Ikhsan, M. A., Ramadhani, M., 2020. Validating of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Questionnaire for Prevention of COVID-19 infections among Undergraduate Students: A RASCH and Factor Analysis. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(12): em1926.

Squiers, L., Perinado, S., Berkman, N., Boudewyns, V., McCormack, L., 2012. The Health Literacy Skills Framework. Journal of Health Communication, 17(suppl 3): 30-54.

Sulistyawati, S., Rokhmayanti, R., Aji, B., Wijayanti, S.P.M., Hastuti, S. K.W., Sukesi, T.W., Mulasari, S.A., 2021. Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Information Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 14: 163-175.

Sun, Z., Yang, B., Zhang, R., Cheng, X., 2020. Influencing Factors of Understanding COVID-19 Risks and Coping Behaviors among the Elderly Population. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16): 5889.

Sykes, S., Wills, J., Trasolini, A., Wood, K. & Frings, D., 2021. eHealth Literacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Seeking, Sharing, Suspicion Amongst Older and Younger UK Populations. Health Promotion International, 103: 1-10.

The Indonesian COVID-19 Task Force, 2021. COVID-19 Distribution Map [WWW Document]. URL https://covid19.go.id/peta-sebaran-covid19 (accessed 16.10. 21).

The Ministry of Health of Indonesia, 2020. Guideline of Prevention and Control of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) [WWW Document]. URL https://covid19.go.id/storage/app/media/Protokol/REV-05_Pedoman_P2_COVID-19_13_Juli_2020.pdf. (accessed 27.03.21).

Wolf, M. S., Serper, M., Opsasnick, L., O'Conor, R. M., Curtis, L., Benavente, J. Y., Wismer, G., Batio, S., Eifler, M., Zheng, P., Russell, A., et al,, 2020. Awareness, Attitudes, and Actions Related to COVID-19 Among Adults with Chronic Conditions at the Onset of the U.S. Outbreak: A Cross-sectional Survey. Annals of Internal Medicine, 173(2): 100-109.

World Health Organization Indonesia., 2021. Update on Coronavirus Disease in Indonesia [WWW Document]. URL: https://www.who.int/indonesia/news/novel-coronavirus. (accessed 25.10.21).

Wuorela, M., Lavonius, S., Salminen, M., Vahlberg, T., Viitanen, M., Viikari, L., 2020. Self-rated Health and Objective Health Status as Predictors of All-cause Mortality Among Older People: A Prospective Study with a 5-, 10-, and 27-year Follow-up. BMC Geriatrics, 20: 120.

Yanti, B., Mulyadi, E., Wahiduddin, W., Novika, R. G. H., Arina, Y. M. D., Martani, N. G., Nawan, N., 2020. Community, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Towards Social Distancing policy as a Means of Preventing Transmission of COVID-19 in Indonesia. Indonesian Journal of Health Administration, 8(1): 4-14.

Yue, S., Zhang, J., Cao, M., Chen, B., 2021. Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of COVID-19 Among Urban and Rural Residents in China: A Cross-sectional Study. Journal of Community Health, 46(2): 286-291.

Zarocostas, J. 2020. How to Fight an Infodemic? Lancet, 395(10225): 676.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24071/jpsc.004176