E-HEALTH LITERACY AND CYBERCHONDRIA SEVERITY RELATIONSHIP: AN ANALYSIS FOCUSING ON TEACHERS

Abstract

As a result of the recent widespread use of the Internet, individuals search for their questions or problems on the Internet. This situation has led to the concepts of e-health literacy and cyberchondria. The aim of the study is to determine the level of e-health literacy and cyberchondria seriousness of teachers who prepare children and adolescents, the youngest members of society, for life. The population of the cross-sectional study consists of teachers working in the Ayvac?k district of Samsun province in the 2022-2023 academic year (N=301). The sample of the study was determined to be 183, with a 95% confidence interval and a 5% margin of error. The study data were collected between 15.07.2023 and 15.08.2023. Three forms were used in data collection, and these were personal information form, e-health literacy scale and cyberchondria severity scale short form (CCS-12). In the study, 56.1% of the participants were female, 65% were between the ages of 30-39, and 48% had been working for 1-9 years. The mean score of e-health literacy was 3.69�0.80, and the mean score of cyberchondria severity was 32.08�7.98. In the study, a statistically significant difference was found between age and marital status in both e-health literacy and cyberchondria severity. In addition, a positive low-level relationship was determined between e-health literacy and cyberchondria severity (p<0.001, r=,158). As a result, age and marital status affect e-health literacy and cyberchondria severity. In addition, cyberchondria severity increases as e-health literacy increases.