ERIC Number: EJ1227283
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2474-2546
EISSN: N/A
International Students' Online Health Information Seeking Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs) Prevention and Health Literacy among Chinese International Students
Dong, Yue; Branscum, Paul; Gao, Haijuan
International Journal of Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Higher Education, v3 n1 p89-103 2018
Sexual health is crucial to the overall health and well-being of international students; however, few studies about them have evaluated their health literacy and knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention. This study investigated Chinese International Students' (CIS) health literacy about STIs, focusing on their use of information online. A culturally-tailored 12-item STIs prevention survey was developed for this study, and an internet search was conducted by eight CIS. Overall, participants found correct information for the STI items in 51% of the cases (n=96). A Wilcoxon test suggested that CISs who were sexually active had lower health literacy skills than those who were not (p=0.02), and there were no significant associations between health literacy levels, acculturation, and length of stay in the United States. While limited in scope, the result from this study suggests the need for further research as well as need for education in health literacy in order to counter threats to well-being among sexually-active CISs.
Descriptors: Foreign Students, Information Seeking, Online Searching, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Prevention, Foreign Countries, Health Materials, Student Welfare, Knowledge Level, Health Education, Accuracy, Undergraduate Students, Limited English Speaking
International Journal of Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Higher Education. 6 Delgreen Court, Nottingham, MD 21236. Web site: https://www.ojed.org/index.php/jimphe
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A