Version 1
: Received: 31 May 2018 / Approved: 31 May 2018 / Online: 31 May 2018 (11:45:44 CEST)
How to cite:
Levin-Zamir, D.; Bertschi, I. Media Health Literacy, eHealth Literacy, and the Role of the Social Environment in Context. Preprints2018, 2018050478. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201805.0478.v1
Levin-Zamir, D.; Bertschi, I. Media Health Literacy, eHealth Literacy, and the Role of the Social Environment in Context. Preprints 2018, 2018050478. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201805.0478.v1
Levin-Zamir, D.; Bertschi, I. Media Health Literacy, eHealth Literacy, and the Role of the Social Environment in Context. Preprints2018, 2018050478. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201805.0478.v1
APA Style
Levin-Zamir, D., & Bertschi, I. (2018). Media Health Literacy, eHealth Literacy, and the Role of the Social Environment in Context. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201805.0478.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Levin-Zamir, D. and Isabella Bertschi. 2018 "Media Health Literacy, eHealth Literacy, and the Role of the Social Environment in Context" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints201805.0478.v1
Abstract
Health literacy describes skills and competencies that enable people to gain access to, understand and apply health information to positively influence their own health and the health of those in the social environment. In an increasingly media saturated and digitized world, these skill sets are necessary for accessing and navigating sources of health information and tools, such as television, the Internet, and mobile apps. The concepts of Media Health Literacy (MHL) and eHealth Literacy (eHL) describe the specific competencies such tasks require. This article introduces the two concepts, and then reviews findings on the associations of MHL and eHL with several contextual variables in the social environment such as socio-demographics, social support, and system complexity, as a structural variable. As eHL and MHL are crucial for empowering people to actively engage in their own health, a growing body of literature reports of the potential and the effectiveness of intervention initiatives to positively influence these competencies. From an ethical standpoint, equity is emphasized, stressing the importance of accessible media environments for all - including those at risk of exclusion from (digital) media sources. Alignment of micro and macro contextual spheres will ultimately facilitate both non-digital and digital media to effectively support and promote public health.
Keywords
health literacy; media health literacy; ehealth literacy; social environment; health apps; social support; digital health; empowerment
Subject
Social Sciences, Behavior Sciences
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
