Digital health literacy and well-being of university students in Austria during the pandemic

Abstract Background Previous findings suggest that depressive and anxiety-related symptoms have doubled among students since the beginning of the pandemic. Digital health literacy can act as a protective resource to strengthen well-being. Objectives This paper analyzes the relationship between digital health literacy, socioeconomic status and well-being and future-anxiety among students in Austria. Methods 480 students from Austrian higher education institutions were surveyed via online questionnaire during the second wave of the Corona pandemic. Sociodemographic data, students’ self-assessments of well-being, fears regarding future development and perspectives, and digital health literacy were collected. Variance and regression analyses were used for the evaluation. Results About 50% of the students reported low scores in well-being and distinct fears about the future. A higher socioeconomic status correlated with higher well-being as well as lower fears about the future.Regarding digital health literacy, the ability to assess the relevance of information showed the highest correlation with well-being. Conclusions Individual factors such as gender or the study-program are relevant for the interaction between well-being and digital health literacy. The assessment of the relevance of information and its connection with one's own life reality seems to be important factors in promoting well-being.

As mental health related issues become more and more prevalent across all ages and social groups around the globe, the identification of protective factors related to well-being is of high importance. In times of the COVID-19-pandemic, this proves to be even more crucial. Young adults and especially students were particularly burdened by social isolation and missing opportunities for personal exchange and supporting relationships during the pandemic. Within this workshop we will discuss the significance of a possible protective factor for the promotion and strengthening of well-being: digital health literacy (DHL). It involves the ability to search for healthrelated information, to add self-generated content, to evaluate the reliability of health information, to determine the relevance of health information and to protect one's privacy. Findings suggest that it plays a vital part as a protective resource when it comes to maintaining or promoting well-being. This might be particularly the case when the possibility of accessing healthrelated information is restricted due to reduced social contact. Since important sources for health information are available within the digital space, digital competencies are becoming important to access such information and to conduct a successful and healthy life. The competence of adequately dealing with digital health information, in particular, became more relevant during the COVID-19-pandemic. DHL can be seen as a two-dimensional construct. On the one hand, it refers to the ability to use digital resources to gather health information and, on the other hand, it refers to critical information literacy. Critical information literacy is the ability to collect, understand, evaluate and apply information. Within the proposed workshop, findings of a university survey, conducted within the global COVID-HL network, will be presented. Presentation 1 seeks to address the role of individual factors for the interaction between well-being and DHL. It will further examine the importance of being able to properly assess the relevance of health information. Presentation 2 sheds light on actions, such as adding selfgenerated health content, when it comes to mental health promotion. It will also take up the relevant individual factors that mediate the relationship between DHL and well-being. Presentation 3 highlights the ability of students to search for health-related information and to use it as a factor to improve their well-being. Presentation 4 provides insight into the importance of DHL for future health professionals in a health sector that is under digital transformation. Lastly, presentation 5 argues for the necessary enhancement of DHL and sense of coherence of students and stresses the need for health promoting and target group specific interventions. In a second step, the audience will be encouraged to ask questions and to engage in a discussion about the suggested conclusions and implications.

Key messages:
It has been shown internationally that there is a strong relationship between digital health literacy and students' well-being. Individual factors are relevant mediators in the relationship between well-being and digital health literacy. Background: Previous findings suggest that depressive and anxiety-related symptoms have doubled among students since the beginning of the pandemic. Digital health literacy can act as a protective resource to strengthen well-being.
Objectives: This paper analyzes the relationship between digital health literacy, socioeconomic status and well-being and futureanxiety among students in Austria. Methods: 480 students from Austrian higher education institutions were surveyed via online questionnaire during the second wave of the Corona pandemic. Sociodemographic data, students' selfassessments of well-being, fears regarding future development and perspectives, and digital health literacy were collected. Variance and regression analyses were used for the evaluation.

Results:
About 50% of the students reported low scores in well-being and distinct fears about the future. A higher socioeconomic status correlated with higher well-being as well as lower fears about the future.Regarding digital health literacy, the ability to assess the relevance of information showed the highest correlation with well-being.

Conclusions:
Individual factors such as gender or the study-program are relevant for the interaction between well-being and digital

Background:
Digital Health Literacy (DHL) gained traction in recent years in the health promotion and well-being field as a possible protective factor.

Methods:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-reported web-based questionnaire on students enrolled at a university from Romania between December 2020 and February 2021. Descriptive statistics, correlation tests, and logistics regressions were employed to analyze the relationship between DHL, wellbeing, subjective social status (SSS), and future anxiety among students.

Results:
The data set included 1381 valid surveys (out of 1877 total surveys) completed by students aged between 18 and 39 years (mean = 21.9, SD = 3.701), the majority (69%) being males. Most of the students were studying at Bachelor level (83%), while the rest were Master or PhD students. Responses showed that 49% of the students expressed low well-being, 48% expressed a high level of future-anxiety and 59% considered they have a low SSS. For the DHL subscale of evaluating the reliability of the information, 56% of students had limited DHL, while for the subscale of determining the relevance of information, 64% of students presented limited DHL. The DHL subscale of adding self-generated content showed the highest correlation with well-being, followed by the determining relevance of the information subscale. Sufficient DHL was associated with higher levels of well-being when controlling for age, gender, and study program.

Conclusions:
Well-being is influenced by actions such as adding selfgenerated health content, determining the relevance of health information, and anxiety for the future, all being important actions in health promotion. Individual factors such as age and gender are also relevant in mediating the relationship between DHL and well-being.

Results:
There is a correlation as our students reported Very easy or easy to the question how easy they deal with the coronavirus information on the Internet -with 71% choosing from all the information they find, 91% using the proper words to find the information, and 71% finding the exact information. Those results were achieved as our students reported feeling over the last two weeks 27.12% very low, 18.08% low, and only 54.80% high (>50) well-being, measuring the dimensions of psychological general well-being by the WHO-5.

Conclusions:
Our students reported they can search and retrieve the appropriate information on the coronavirus or related topics, and they are satisfied with the information found. Our students' abilities to search and retrieve health-related information are applicable even under the pandemic pressure, where they contribute to the improvement of their well-being feelings.
[This research is supported by the National Scientific Program ''eHealth'' in Bulgaria.] Abstract citation ID: ckac129.713 Digital health literacy and well-being of health sciences students from MU-Sofia during the pandemic

Background:
The aim of the study is to demonstrate the Digital health literacy and the well-being of the students from different faculties in Medical University -Sofia during the pandemic.

Methods:
To achieve the purpose of the study a web-based questionnaire was distributed among health sciences students from the Faculty of Public Health and the Medical College -Sofia, as well as medical students from the Faculty of Medicine all from Medical University -Sofia in Bulgaria. Data was collected between February and April 2022, and all respondents participated anonymously and voluntarily. Established statistical methods were used in data analysis.

Results:
Completed questionnaires were received from 239 students. Data collected show that among participants the majority (81,4%) were females, and 73,3% were studying in a Bachelor's programme. Among the respondents 87.7% found it easy, or very easy to use the proper words or search query to find the information they were looking for about coronavirus or related topics. Finally 29,3% of health sciences students expressed low to very low well-being during the last two weeks and the rest 70,7% expressed high well-being.

Conclusions:
The presented results draw attention to the fact that during the pandemic health sciences students demonstrate the appropriate skills in searching and acquiring the information about coronavirus or related topics. In addition, translating and applying the information could contribute to benefit the psychological well-being of the students. In a digitally transformed health sector it is significant for future health professionals to obtain competencies including digital health literacy to promote health and well-being of the patients and provide better outcomes for them. The necessity of digital