SynthesisBMC public health2026
Digital health literacy among university students: a systematic review of global trends, determinants, measurement, and the literacy-to-intervention gap.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Digital health literacy in Somali higher education: a public health agenda for navigating health misinformation and generative AI.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Nursing Students' Information Seeking Behavior in Saudi Arabia: A Mixed-Method Study.SAGE open nursingArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionUniversity students interact with the complexities of public health knowledge in digital environments. Digital health literacy (DHL), in this regard, is crucial as an upstream skill for ensuring safe, inclusive, and knowledgeable health care engagement among university students where mis-information, algorithm amplification, and AI-based content exist.
objectiveThis systematic review synthesizes global evidence on DHL among university students. It examines measurement approaches, socio-demographic determinants, online health information-seeking behaviours, mental health and well-being correlates, and the gap between literacy assessment and tested university-based interventions.
methodsThis systematic review followed PRISMA 2020 guidance. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for peer-reviewed studies indexed up to March 31, 2024; backward and forward citation tracking was updated to January 2025 to capture directly related empirical papers. Two reviewers independently performed screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal using design-appropriate tools: JBI for analytical cross-sectional studies, CASP for qualitative evidence, and AMSTAR 2-informed criteria for review-derived or pilot evidence. Because of heterogeneity in design, instruments, and outcomes, findings were synthesized narratively and thematically.
resultsTwenty-one studies met the eligibility criteria. Most were cross-sectional studies conducted during or after the COVID-19 pandemic. Five themes were identified: DHL as a competence for appraising online health information; socioeconomic, gender, health-status, and contextual determinants of DHL; associations with mental health, well-being, fear, and sense of coherence; measurement heterogeneity and psychometric maturation; and a persistent literacy-to-intervention gap.
conclusionDHL is a relevant competency for Health Promoting Universities, but the current evidence base remains dominated by descriptive self-report and cross-sectional designs. Future research should prioritize longitudinal studies, objective task-based competence assessment, and theory-driven intervention trials embedded within campus health systems, library infrastructures, and digital mental health pathways. The future research must focus on conducting longitudinal research, assessing task-based competency objectively, and testing theory-based interventions that operate through campus health systems, library infrastructure, and pathways for digital mental health.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.