A Tailored Approach to Identifying and Addressing College Students' Online Health Information Literacy

Background: College students may fail to practice information literacy skills because they are unaware of their skill level or are not concerned with the risks. Purpose: In order to develop an effective message that motivates college students to learn online health information literacy skills, a better understanding of perceptions about such skills and use of the internet to locate health information is needed. Methods: A risk assessment and internet use survey were administered to participants (n=98). The risk assessment evaluated and grouped individuals into one of three risk-response states based on perceived threat severity and susceptibility, as well as perceived self- and response-efficacy. Discussion: Risk-response states and frequency of internet use to locate health information varied significantly (p<.001). A significant relationship was also found between frequency of use and risk-response state (p<.01). Topics most researched included an illness or condition; nutrition, exercise, or weight-control issues; and mental health issues. Translation to Health Education Practice: When seeking to motivate college students to learn online health information literacy skills, educators should tailor their messages based on risk-response states, frequency of internet use to locate health information, and topics researched.