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Медиаграмотность в сфере здоровья у онкопациентов: связь с психологическими, поведенческими и социально-демографическими показателями
Abstract. The mass shift of patients toward searching for medical information on the Internet has increased the risks of misinformation, self-medication, and uncritical use of media health messages. Under these conditions, media health literacy becomes a significant public health factor, determining patients’ ability to assess the credibility of information, understand its purpose, and evaluate the consequences of its use. For the Russian population, particularly for patients with chronic diseases, media health literacy remains insufficiently studied, which necessitates its empirical analysis.
Purpose – to adapt the Russian-language version of the Media Health Literacy Questionnaire (MeHLit), assess its psychometric properties and convergent validity, and identify associations between media health literacy and socio-demographic, psychological, and behavioral characteristics among Russian cancer patients.
Materials and methods. The study involved 425 cancer patients aged 22 to 76 years, recruited through the online community “Cancer Is Curable.” The primary instrument was the Russian-language adapted version of the Media Health Literacy Questionnaire (MeHLit). Additionally, the eHEALS scale, measures of cyberchondria, treatment compliance, doomscrolling, psychological well-being (WHO-5), and a short Big Five personality inventory were used. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and analysis of variance.
Results. Factor analysis revealed a stable two-factor structure of media health literacy: Message Purpose Evaluation Skill and Critical Interpretative and Visual–Contextual Analysis. Both factors demonstrated high internal consistency and satisfactory model fit indices. Media health literacy was positively associated with educational level, eHealth literacy, treatment compliance, and general self-efficacy. Positive associations were also found with manifestations of cyberchondria, reflecting patients’ efforts to reduce uncertainty. No significant associations were observed with age, subjective income level, or Big Five personality traits.
Conclusion. The Russian-language version of the Media Health Literacy Questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing patients’ media health literacy. The findings highlight the importance of developing media health literacy as a factor of responsible medical behavior and more informed patient–healthcare system interaction under conditions of information overload.