“WebLitLegit” video asks local teenagers about online health literacy
Teresa Wagner of UNT Health Science Center gets the teen perspective.
Did you know October is Health Literacy Month? In honor of the occasion, the DFW Hospital Council (DFWHC) Foundation’s Health Literacy Collaborative produced the local video “WebLitLegit” where multiple teenagers are asked about their online health literacy.
A recent study found that 70% of youths use the Internet as their first source of health information. This is problematic because during this phase, many teens have limited e-health literacy, lacking the knowledge and skills to distinguish reliable health information online.
Youths reported “difficulty in determining the quality of information,” indicating they were unsure of “the truthfulness and correctness of the information.” Consequently, they may obtain poor quality misinformation about health for themselves, family members and friends.
“We produced this video to raise awareness on not just North Texas health literacy, but North Texas teenager health literacy,” said Patti Taylor, director of quality and patient safety at the DFWHC Foundation. “The Internet is not going away, perhaps the number one source of information for citizens today.”
To address these issues, a new study funded by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) called “WebLitLegit” aims to develop an interactive program to improve the health literacy of teens while empowering them to ascertain credible health information on the Internet.
You can view the video here.
For information on WebLitLegit and safe healthcare websites, please click here.
For additional information, please contact Patti Taylor at ptaylor@dfwhcfoundation.org.
