Table 1.
Univariate description of the e-HLS items.
| Scale items | Means and standard deviations | Item frequencies and percentages |
|||
| Full sample | Subsample | Full sample | Subsample | ||
| Action factor | 2.48 (0.99) | 2.52 (1.05) |
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|
|
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Read disclosure statements | 2.32 (1.20) | 2.54 (1.20) | 44.2% (311) | 54.4% (105) |
|
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Check credentials and affiliations of author | 2.48 (1.36) | 2.49 (1.42) | 46.3% (327) | 47.7% (92) |
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Check who owns the website | 2.41 (1.40) | 2.22 (1.42) | 43.8% (309) | 34.2% (66) |
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|
Check who sponsors the website | 2.40 (1.37) | 2.36 (1.42) | 44.3% (311) | 40.3% (76) |
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Check if there is a financial tie between information and sponsor | 2.20 (1.36) | 2.25 (1.41) | 36.4% (257) | 36.3% (70) |
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|
Appraise whether information provider’s credentials seem adequate | 2.54 (1.40) | 2.66 (1.42) | 49.8% (348) | 51.6% (99) |
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Check whether an address is listed on the website | 1.96 (1.09) | 2.08 (1.21) | 29.1% (205) | 31.8% (61) |
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Check whether goals and objectives of the website are clearly stated | 2.26 (1.20) | 2.34 (1.27) | 41.4% (292) | 42.9% (82) |
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Appraise whether there is a clear and comprehensive coverage of the topic | 2.63 (1.33) | 2.75 (1.36) | 54.2% (379) | 55.6% (105) |
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Check whether other print or Web resources confirm the information | 2.57 (1.33) | 2.57 (1.26) | 51.5% (363) | 51.3% (99) |
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Check whether information is current and updated recently | 2.90 (1.35) | 2.91 (1.40) | 61.5% (432) | 60.6% (117) |
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Check whether the last update of information is prominent on the website | 2.66 (1.33) | 2.68 (1.38) | 53.4% (374) | 51.8% (98) |
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Confident of being able to appraise information quality on the Internet | 3.24 (0.95) | 3.23 (0.93) | 80.8% (566) | 77.6% (149) |
| Trust factor | 2.79 (0.64) | 2.78 (0.65) |
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Trust the Internet to provide accurate information | 2.72 (0.86) | 2.74 (0.87) | 61.5% (432) | 62.8% (120) |
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Think information on the Internet as credible | 3.09 (0.75) | 3.08 (0.74) | 84.5% (592) | 85.4% (164) |
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Think information on the Internet as balanced and accurate | 2.95 (0.73) | 2.94 (0.74) | 79.2% (557) | 78.1% (150) |
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Think information on the Internet better than what most health providers supply | 2.41 (0.87) | 2.35 (0.87) | 46.9% (328) | 41.3% (79) |
| Communication factor | 2.18 (0.90) | 2.10 (0.87) |
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Discuss the information with a health provider | 2.42 (1.07) | 2.40 (1.06) | 49.9% (311) | 46.9% (90) |
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Ask a health provider where to find credible information on the Internet | 1.93 (1.08) | 1.80 (0.98) | 29.2% (206) | 24.3% (47) |