Table 3.
Items and Factor Loadings.
| Constructs | Items | HKS | SIT | EHL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health knowledge seeking | I often use this online health community (OHC) to seek knowledge | 0.817 | 0.140 | 0.145 |
| I frequently use this OHC to seek knowledge | 0.873 | 0.252 | 0.152 | |
| I spend a lot of time using this OHC to seek knowledge | 0.773 | 0.319 | 0.071 | |
| Social interaction ties | I maintain close social relationships with some members in this OHC | 0.277 | 0.844 | 0.055 |
| I spend a lot of time interacting with some members in this OHC | 0.295 | 0.840 | 0.091 | |
| I know some members in this OHC on a personal level | 0.179 | 0.879 | 0.118 | |
| I have frequent communication with some members in this OHC | 0.130 | 0.926 | 0.109 | |
| E-health literacy | I know how to find helpful health resources on the Internet | 0.179 | 0.010 | 0.795 |
| I know how to use the Internet to answer my health questions | 0.181 | 0.023 | 0.841 | |
| I know what health resources are available on the Internet | 0.183 | 0.036 | 0.852 | |
| I know where to find helpful health resources on the Internet | 0.177 | 0.102 | 0.831 | |
| I know how to use the health information I find on the Internet to help me | 0.158 | 0.139 | 0.825 | |
| I have the skills I need to evaluate the health resources I find on the Internet | 0.067 | 0.169 | 0.780 | |
| I can tell high-quality from low-quality health resources on the Internet | 0.044 | 0.157 | 0.781 | |
| I feel confident in using information from the Internet to make health decisions | 0.101 | 0.201 | 0.768 | |
| Cronbach’s α | 0.835 | 0.928 | 0.933 | |
| C.R. | 0.825 | 0.929 | 0.931 | |
| AVE | 0.662 | 0.767 | 0.630 |
Note: HKS, SIT, and EHL respectively short for health knowledge seeking, social interaction ties, and e-health literacy; C.R. is short for composite reliability; AVE is short for average variance extraction.