Digital Health Literacy Among Undergraduate Nursing Students in China: Associations with Health Lifestyles and Psychological Resilience

Background: Digital health literacy (DHL) is pivotal for individuals to access trustworthy health information and make informed decisions, closely intertwined with health behaviors and psychological resilience-these factors collectively shape an individual's approach to health management. Despite extensive research on digital health literacy in broader populations, the specific dynamics of digital health literacy in relation to health behaviors and psychological resilience among undergraduate nursing students in China remain understudied, highlighting a gap that this research endeavors to address. This study aims to assess the levels of digital health literacy among undergraduate nursing students in China, and to explore its association with health lifestyles and psychological resilience, which are considered influential factors.

Methods: Employing a descriptive cross-sectional research design, eligible Chinese nursing undergraduates were surveyed from June to October 2023. This study recruited a total of 418 undergraduate nursing students. After excluding 11 students on leave, 407 students participated in questionnaire completion and submission. The College Students' Digital Health Literacy Scale, Healthy Lifestyle Assessment Scale and The Psychological Resilience Scale were used in this study.

Results: The mean scores for digital health literacy, health lifestyles, and psychological resilience were 74.78 ± 8.44, 127.14 ± 11.22, and 79.21 ± 11.02, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis results indicated that the correlations between digital health literacy and both health lifestyles (r = 0.707, P < 0.01) and psychological resilience (r = 0.638, P < 0.01) were statistically significant and positive. The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that volunteer activity experience, academic performance, physical fitness, psychological traits, health lifestyle, and psychological resilience significantly predicted digital health literacy (F = 58.091, P < 0.001, R² = 0.678, adjusted R² = 0.666). Specifically, excellent academic performance (β = 0.210, P < 0.001) and good physical fitness (β = 0.188, P = 0.002) were the strongest predictors of higher digital health literacy.

Conclusions: There is a correlation between the digital health literacy of nursing undergraduates and their health lifestyles and psychological resilience. Future research should consider interventions in digital health literacy for undergraduate nursing students in China from the perspectives of health lifestyles and psychological resilience.