Table 1.

Six components of eHealth literacy[13]

Type of literacy	Definition
Traditional literacy	Involves basic literacy skills, such as reading text, understanding written passages, and coherently speaking and writing a language [15].
Information literacy	According to the American Library Association, involves a person knowing “how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them” [16].
Media literacy	Involves the ability to critically think about media content, and “enables people to place information in a social and political context and to consider issues such as the marketplace, audience relations, and how media forms in themselves shape the message that gets conveyed” [13].
Health literacy	Defined by the American Medical Association as a person’s capability to “perform basic reading and numerical tasks required to function in the health care environment. Patients with adequate health literacy can read, understand, and act on health care information” [12].
Computer literacy	Involves the ability to use computers to solve problems. According to Norman and Skinner, “computer literacy includes the ability to adapt to new technologies and software and includes both absolute and relative access to eHealth resources” [13].
Scientific literacy	Involves an “understanding of the nature, aims, methods, applications, limitations, and politics of creating knowledge in a systematic manner” [13]. Allows health research findings to be placed in the appropriate context and requires the understanding of the discovery process.