The Role of E-Health and Nutrition Literacy in Health-Related Decision-Making: A Cross-Sectional Study of University Students in Ghana

Background . This study investigated the role of e-health literacy and nutrition literacy in health-related decision-making. The scope of health decision-making in this study included the use of social media to learn about diet and exercise, attitudes toward exercise and healthy eating self-efficacy. Methods. Data were collected from 592 university students in Ghana via a cross-sectional survey. A questionnaire collected data about e-health literacy, nutrition literacy, use of social media to learn about diet and exercise, attitudes toward exercise, healthy eating self-efficacy and demographics. Multiple linear regressions were used to test the hypothesis that e-health literacy and Nutrition literacy are related to health decision-making. Results. As hypothesized, e-health literacy (R ² = .16, p = .00) and nutrition literacy (R ² = .19, p = .00) were related to health decision-making. The findings show that e-health literacy and nutrition literacy are related to health-related decision-making. The implications for patients, public health educators and researchers are discussed. Conclusion. This study uniquely contributes to knowledge by demonstrating how e-health and nutrition literacy influence a patient’s use of social media for learning about diet and exercise. Moreover, these factors are related to attitudes toward physical activity and enhance self-efficacy in maintaining healthy eating habits.