{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T05:18:49Z","timestamp":1788153529151,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":83,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788134400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The spread of health misinformation through digital platforms poses an increasing challenge for public health. University students are among the most exposed groups, given their heavy reliance on online environments for health-related information.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study investigated health information sources, digital health literacy skills, criteria for evaluating information quality, use of homeopathic and alternative remedies, and attitudes toward science among students at the University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro (UMG), Italy.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      An exploratory cross-sectional survey was conducted on 407 UMG students (277 females, 68.06%; mean age 23.23 \u00b1 6.15 years), enrolled in Nursing (65.36%), Medicine and Surgery (23.34%), Engineering (2.46%), and other programmes (8.85%). Data were collected via a structured self-administered questionnaire distributed through Google Forms. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples\n                      <jats:italic>t<\/jats:italic>\n                      -tests, chi-square tests, and stepwise logistic regression were performed.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Social media was the most frequently used health information source (75.43%), yet only 12.78% of students considered it reliable. The physician was identified as the most trustworthy source by 94.10% of participants. Basic digital health behaviors were common, but advanced self-reported critical evaluation abilities were markedly limited: only 15.72% self-reported the ability to critically select online health content. Attitudes toward science were generally positive. Chi-square analyses revealed sex differences in response distributions for several items, and logistic regression showed that female sex was positively associated with sensitivity to the ethical dimension of scientific work (OR = 1.61).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Positive scientific attitudes coexisted with underdeveloped self-reported critical evaluation abilities. These findings support the integration of digital health literacy training into university curricula to better prepare students to navigate the contemporary infodemic environment.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1931903","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T04:29:16Z","timestamp":1788150556000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Health misinformation, digital health literacy, and attitudes toward science among university students: an exploratory cross-sectional survey"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Adele","family":"Sarcone","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Sciences Department, Magna Graecia University","place":["Catanzaro, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Claudia","family":"Pileggi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Sciences Department, Magna Graecia University","place":["Catanzaro, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carmelo","family":"Nobile","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical and Experimental Medicine Department, Magna Graecia University","place":["Catanzaro, Italy"]},{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria","place":["Cosenza, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Silvio","family":"Simeone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical and Experimental Medicine Department, Magna Graecia University","place":["Catanzaro, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Caterina","family":"Mercuri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical and Experimental Medicine Department, Magna Graecia University","place":["Catanzaro, Italy"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e48620","DOI":"10.2196\/48620","article-title":"The role of social media in health misinformation and disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic: bibliometric analysis","volume":"3","author":"Adebesin","year":"2023","journal-title":"JMIR Infodemiol."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"16598","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-020-73510-5","article-title":"The COVID-19 social media infodemic","volume":"10","author":"Cinelli","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1038","DOI":"10.1080\/1369118X.2018.1547411","article-title":"Making sense of credibility in complex information environments: the role of message sidedness, information source, and thinking styles in credibility evaluation online","volume":"23","author":"Flanagin","year":"2020","journal-title":"Inf Commun Soc"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","year":"","journal-title":"Eur J Public Health","DOI":"10.1093\/eurpub\/ckaf161.002"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"926","DOI":"10.1590\/1806-9282.20201151","article-title":"fake news: the impact of the internet on population health","volume":"67","author":"Zanatta","year":"2021","journal-title":"Rev Assoc M\u00e9dica Bras."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e56931","DOI":"10.2196\/56931","article-title":"Comprehensive analysis of COVID-19 misinformation, public health impacts, and communication strategies: scoping review","volume":"26","author":"Kisa","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102603","DOI":"10.1016\/j.acalib.2022.102603","article-title":"Online health information seeking and digital health literacy among information and learning resources undergraduate students","volume":"48","author":"Abdoh","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Acad Librariansh."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1438981","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1438981","article-title":"Strategies and bottlenecks to tackle infodemic in public health: a scoping review","volume":"12","author":"Gentili","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Public Health."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"267","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-publhealth-071723-124408","article-title":"The politics and profit of disinformation in public health","volume":"47","author":"Maani","year":"2026","journal-title":"Annu Rev Public Health"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e397","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-2667(24)00031-8","article-title":"Beyond misinformation: developing a public health prevention framework for managing information ecosystems","volume":"9","author":"Ishizumi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Lancet Public Health."},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e14202","DOI":"10.1111\/jep.14202","article-title":"Perceived medical disinformation and public trust: commentary on grimes and greenhalgh (2024)","volume":"31","author":"Baigrie","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Eval Clin Pract."},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1081","DOI":"10.1215\/03616878-11995152","article-title":"The public and health (Mis)information: what polling tells us about where we have been and where we might be going","volume":"50","author":"Hamel","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Health Polit Policy Law"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"478","DOI":"10.1080\/21645515.2017.1392423","article-title":"Health literacy and vaccination: a systematic review","volume":"14","author":"Lorini","year":"2018","journal-title":"Hum Vaccines Immunother."},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"425","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare14040425","article-title":"Online health misinformation susceptibility increases health risk behaviors and vaccine hesitancy: evidence from Greece","volume":"14","author":"Moisoglou","year":"2026","journal-title":"Healthcare"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"291","DOI":"10.1007\/s11845-022-02936-9","article-title":"Social media medical misinformation: impact on mental health and vaccination decision among university students","volume":"192","author":"Jabbour","year":"2023","journal-title":"Ir J Med Sci"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102782","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lindif.2025.102782","article-title":"Judging a text by its author\u2014a meta-analysis of interventions to foster source credibility assessment","volume":"124","author":"Fendt","year":"2025","journal-title":"Learn Individ Differ."},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2611","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20032611","article-title":"Digital health literacy and information-seeking in the Era of COVID-19: gender differences emerged from a Florentine university experience","volume":"20","author":"Bonaccorsi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health."},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e17187","DOI":"10.2196\/17187","article-title":"Prevalence of health misinformation on social media: systematic review","volume":"23","author":"Suarez-Lledo","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res."},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"78","DOI":"10.58947\/journal.xtcq54","article-title":"Improving the quality and credibility of educational content on social media platforms in Bangladesh","volume":"19","author":"Ahmed","year":"2024","journal-title":"Userhub J."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4298","DOI":"10.59075\/bzbttd49","article-title":"Trust in online information as a predictor of misinformation vulnerability among university students","volume":"4","author":"Shah","year":"2026","journal-title":"Crit Rev Soc Sci Stud"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"544","DOI":"10.2471\/BLT.21.287654","article-title":"Infodemics and health misinformation: a systematic review of reviews","volume":"100","author":"Borges Do Nascimento","year":"2022","journal-title":"Bull World Health Organ"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e55086","DOI":"10.2196\/55086","article-title":"Racial and demographic disparities in susceptibility to health misinformation on social media: national survey-based analysis","volume":"26","author":"Chandrasekaran","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e51127","DOI":"10.2196\/51127","article-title":"Perceptions of health misinformation on social media: cross-sectional survey study","volume":"4","author":"Gaysynsky","year":"2024","journal-title":"JMIR Infodemiol."},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e54135","DOI":"10.2196\/54135","article-title":"Online Health Information seeking, ehealth literacy, and health behaviors among Chinese internet users: cross-sectional survey study","volume":"26","author":"Liu","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res."},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e44602","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.94276","article-title":"Evaluating the impact of digital health literacy on the adoption of preventive health measures in socioeconomically vulnerable communities: a narrative review","volume":"25","author":"Gupta","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"6247","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19106247","article-title":"Validation of the COVID-19 digital health literacy instrument in the italian language: a cross-sectional study of Italian university students","volume":"19","author":"Lorini","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health."},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e9","DOI":"10.2196\/jmir.8.2.e9","article-title":"eHealth literacy: essential skills for consumer health in a networked world","volume":"8","author":"Norman","year":"2006","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res."},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e59454","DOI":"10.2196\/59454","article-title":"Enhancing digital health awareness and mhealth competencies in medical education: proof-of-concept study and summative process evaluation of a quality improvement project","volume":"10","author":"Sahan","year":"2024","journal-title":"JMIR Med Educ."},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"ckz185","DOI":"10.1093\/eurpub\/ckz185.069","article-title":"Digital health literacy of health care profession students","volume":"29","author":"Dratva","year":"2019","journal-title":"Eur J Public Health"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"270","DOI":"10.55131\/jphd\/2025\/230219","article-title":"Digital health literacy levels and influencing factors among college medical students in China during post-COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"23","author":"Thailand","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Public Health Dev"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11439","DOI":"10.15766\/mep_2374-8265.11439","article-title":"Mitigating misinformation toolkit: a medical student role-play curriculum on communication techniques to facilitate vaccine misinformation conversations","volume":"27","author":"Pelin","year":"2024","journal-title":"MedEdPORTAL."},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"ckab164","DOI":"10.1093\/eurpub\/ckab164.040","article-title":"Digital health literacy and information behaviour in university students in Finland","volume":"31","author":"Sormunen","year":"2021","journal-title":"Eur J Public Health"},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"889","DOI":"10.37290\/ctnr2641-452X.22:889-894","article-title":"Knowledge, attitudes, and barriers toward using complementary and alternative medicine among medical and nonmedical university students: a cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia","volume":"22","author":"Alshahrani","year":"2024","journal-title":"Curr Top Nutraceutical Res"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1178","DOI":"10.1111\/ijcp.12026","article-title":"Adverse effects of homeopathy: a systematic review of published case reports and case series: the safety of homeopathy","volume":"66","author":"Posadzki","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int J Clin Pract."},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"946874","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2022.946874","article-title":"Knowledge about, attitude toward, and practice of complementary and alternative medicine among nursing students: a systematic review of cross-sectional studies","volume":"10","author":"Zhao","year":"2022"},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"49","DOI":"10.1080\/00085030.1997.10757086","article-title":"Sex allocation from long bone measurements using logistic regression","volume":"30","author":"Saunders","year":"1997","journal-title":"Can Soc Forensic Sci J."},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100118","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fsir.2020.100118","article-title":"Estimation of sex in forensic examinations using logistic regression and likelihood ratios","volume":"2","author":"Verma","year":"2020","journal-title":"Forensic Sci Int Rep."},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"155","DOI":"10.17269\/s41997-019-00277-2","article-title":"Conducting gender-based analysis of existing databases when self-reported gender data are unavailable: the GENDER index in a working population","volume":"111","year":"2020","journal-title":"Can J Public Health"},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"15","DOI":"10.1186\/s13293-020-00351-2","article-title":"Gender score development in the Berlin aging study II: a retrospective approach","volume":"12","author":"Nauman","year":"2021","journal-title":"Biol Sex Differ."},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"132","DOI":"10.1080\/02813432.2023.2191653","article-title":"Sex and gender differences in primary care help-seeking for common somatic symptoms: a longitudinal study","volume":"41","author":"Ballering","year":"2023","journal-title":"Scand J Prim Health Care"},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"595","DOI":"10.1002\/sim.6357","article-title":"Extension of the Peters\u2013Belson method to estimate health disparities among multiple groups using logistic regression with survey data","volume":"34","author":"Li","year":"2015","journal-title":"Stat Med."},{"key":"B42","unstructured":"Luxembourg\n          European Commission\n          Tertiary Education Statistics\n          \n          2025"},{"key":"B43","unstructured":"2024"},{"key":"B44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.11648\/j.ajtas.20160501.11","article-title":"Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling","volume":"5","author":"Etikan","year":"2016","journal-title":"Am J Theor Appl Stat."},{"key":"B45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"115","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nedt.2018.08.020","article-title":"Analysis of factors potentially associated with nursing students' academic outcomes: a thirteen-year retrospective multi-cohort study","volume":"70","author":"Lancia","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nurse Educ Today."},{"key":"B46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"135","DOI":"10.1007\/s10459-008-9100-z","article-title":"From gender bias to gender awareness in medical education","volume":"14","author":"Verdonk","year":"2009","journal-title":"Adv Health Sci Educ."},{"key":"B47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2278","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-022-14751-z","article-title":"Health literacy and digital health information-seeking behavior-a cross-sectional study among highly educated Swedes","volume":"22","author":"Sundell","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"B48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"39","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cognition.2018.06.011","article-title":"Lazy, not biased: susceptibility to partisan fake news is better explained by lack of reasoning than by motivated reasoning","volume":"188","author":"Pennycook","year":"2019","journal-title":"Cognition."},{"key":"B49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"201199","DOI":"10.1098\/rsos.201199","article-title":"Susceptibility to misinformation about COVID-19 around the world","volume":"7","author":"Roozenbeek","year":"2020","journal-title":"R Soc Open Sci."},{"key":"B50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e44602","DOI":"10.2196\/44602","article-title":"Performance-based measurement of ehealth literacy: systematic scoping review","volume":"25","author":"Crocker","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"key":"B51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"199","DOI":"10.15760\/comminfolit.2016.10.2.24","article-title":"University of the Punjab. Do people overestimate their information literacy skills? A systematic review of empirical evidence on the dunning-kruger effect","volume":"10","author":"Mahmood","year":"2016","journal-title":"Comminfolit"},{"key":"B52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8507","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18168507","article-title":"Facing the growing COVID-19 Infodemic: digital health literacy and information-seeking behaviour of university students in Slovenia","volume":"18","author":"Vrdelja","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health."},{"key":"B53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3676","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19063676","article-title":"Digital health literacy and information-seeking behavior among university college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study from denmark","volume":"19","author":"Bak","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health."},{"key":"B54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"60","DOI":"10.18261\/njdl.18.1.6","article-title":"Digital health literacy and online information-seeking behavior of Lebanese university students in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic","volume":"18","author":"Bouclaous","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nord J Digit Lit."},{"key":"B55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e24097","DOI":"10.2196\/24097","article-title":"Digital health literacy and web-based information-seeking behaviors of university students in Germany During the COVID-19 pandemic: cross-sectional survey study","volume":"23","author":"Dadaczynski","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res."},{"key":"B56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"148","DOI":"10.1186\/s12906-017-1653-z","article-title":"How do medical students engaging in elective courses on acupuncture and homeopathy differ from unselected students? A survey","volume":"17","author":"Jocham","year":"2017","journal-title":"BMC Complement Altern Med."},{"key":"B57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijnurstu.2017.01.008","article-title":"Nurses' attitudes towards complementary therapies: a systematic review and meta-synthesis","volume":"69","author":"Hall","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int J Nurs Stud."},{"key":"B58","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"78","DOI":"10.1186\/s12906-019-2492-x","article-title":"Use and acceptance of complementary and alternative medicine among medical students: a cross sectional study from Palestine","volume":"19","author":"Samara","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMC Complement Altern Med."},{"key":"B59","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2357411","DOI":"10.1080\/10872981.2024.2357411","article-title":"Effect of a workplace-based learning program on clerkship students' behaviors and attitudes toward evidence-based medicine practice","volume":"29","author":"Kasai","year":"2024","journal-title":"Med Educ Online."},{"key":"B60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3233\/SHTI251068","article-title":"\u201cMedical students' ability to assess health information accuracy,\u201d in Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, eds","author":"Almulhem","year":"2025"},{"key":"B61","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e218","DOI":"10.2196\/jmir.7579","article-title":"Trust and credibility in web-based health information: a review and agenda for future research","volume":"19","author":"Sbaffi","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res."},{"key":"B62","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2796","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare11202796","article-title":"Social media fact-checking: the effects of news literacy and news trust on the intent to verify health-related information","volume":"11","author":"Ko\u017euh","year":"2023","journal-title":"Healthcare."},{"key":"B63","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"491","DOI":"10.1080\/10810730.2021.1955312","article-title":"Fact-checking of health information: the effect of media literacy, metacognition and health information exposure","volume":"26","author":"Lee","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Health Commun"},{"key":"B64","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"76","DOI":"10.1111\/ssm.12051","article-title":"I just don't trust them: the development and validation of an assessment instrument to measure trust in science and scientists","volume":"114","author":"Nadelson","year":"2014","journal-title":"Sch Sci Math."},{"key":"B65","first-page":"13","article-title":"Shifting acceptance of evolution: promising evidence of the influence of the understanding evolution website","volume":"23","author":"Nadelson","year":"2010","journal-title":"The Researcher."},{"key":"B66","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2611","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20032611","article-title":"Digital health literacy and information-seeking in the Era of COVID-19: gender differences emerged from a florentine university experience","volume":"20","author":"Bonaccorsi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health."},{"key":"B67","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.1111\/josi.12103","article-title":"Intervening in the media's influence on stereotypes of Race and Ethnicity: the role of media literacy education","volume":"71","author":"Scharrer","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Soc Issues."},{"key":"B68","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"805","DOI":"10.1023\/B:RIAN.0000005926.03250.c0","article-title":"Gender differences in risk perception: theoretical and methodological perspectives","volume":"18","author":"Gustafson","year":"1998","journal-title":"Risk Anal."},{"key":"B69","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"36","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.23597","article-title":"Gender as an influencer of online health information-seeking and evaluation behavior","volume":"68","author":"Rowley","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Assoc Inf Sci Technol."},{"key":"B70","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e4315","DOI":"10.32872\/spb.4315","article-title":"Acceptance and adoption of protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of trust in politics and trust in science","volume":"15","author":"Dohle","year":"2020","journal-title":"Soc Psychol Bull."},{"key":"B71","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e46336","DOI":"10.2196\/46336","article-title":"The effectiveness of publicly available web-based interventions in promoting health app use, digital health literacy, and media literacy: pre-post evaluation study","volume":"25","author":"K\u00f6nig","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"key":"B72","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"106","DOI":"10.1097\/NNE.0000000000001760","article-title":"SIFT-ing through misinformation: reflection notebooks to teach critical digital literacy","volume":"50","author":"Spracklin","year":"2025","journal-title":"Nurse Educ."},{"key":"B73","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e20457","DOI":"10.2196\/20457","article-title":"Effects of objective and subjective health literacy on patients' accurate judgment of health information and decision-making ability: survey study","volume":"23","author":"Schulz","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res."},{"key":"B74","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e27","DOI":"10.2196\/jmir.6709","article-title":"Drossaert C. Development of the digital health literacy instrument: measuring a broad spectrum of health 10 and health 20 skills","volume":"19","author":"Van","year":"2017","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"key":"B75","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e86","DOI":"10.2196\/jmir.1840","article-title":"Does the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) measure what it intends to measure? Validation of a dutch version of the eheals in two adult populations","volume":"13","author":"Van Der Vaart","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"key":"B76","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1121","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.77.6.1121","article-title":"Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments","volume":"77","author":"Kruger","year":"1999","journal-title":"J Pers Soc Psychol."},{"key":"B77","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e19767","DOI":"10.2196\/19767","article-title":"Relationship between levels of digital health literacy based on the Taiwan digital health literacy assessment and accurate assessment of online health information: cross-sectional questionnaire study","volume":"22","author":"Liu","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res."},{"key":"B78","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2800","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-025-24022-2","article-title":"Access to healthy information: the interaction of media literacy and health literacy","volume":"25","author":"Mutlu","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMC Public Health."},{"key":"B79","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"151","DOI":"10.59324\/ejceel.2025.3(6).12","article-title":"Detecting fake news on social media among students: the role of curiosity, critical thinking, and media literacy","volume":"3","author":"Nerantzaki","year":"2025","journal-title":"Eur J Contemp Educ E-Learn"},{"key":"B80","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1176\/appi.ajp.157.2.163","article-title":"How can we learn about developmental processes from cross-sectional studies, or can we?","volume":"157","author":"Kraemer","year":"2000","journal-title":"Am J Psychiatry"},{"key":"B81","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"jre","DOI":"10.1111\/jre.70063","article-title":"Cross-sectional studies: strengths, limitations, and methodological considerations","volume":"61","author":"Baumeister","year":"2026","journal-title":"J Periodontal Res"},{"key":"B82","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"340","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.79.3.340","article-title":"Modeling and variable selection in epidemiologic analysis","volume":"79","author":"Greenland","year":"1989","journal-title":"Am J Public Health."},{"key":"B83","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"791","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pmrj.2013.07.007","article-title":"Multivariate regression: the pitfalls of automated variable selection","volume":"5","author":"Sainani","year":"2013","journal-title":"PM&R."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1931903\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T04:29:18Z","timestamp":1788150558000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1931903\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"references-count":83,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1931903"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1931903","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"article-number":"1931903"}}