Department of Dental Hygiene, Kwangju Women’s University
Correspondence to Seon-Yeong Kim, Department of Dental Hygiene, Kwangju Women’s University, 61 Yeodae-gil, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju-si, 62396, Korea. Tel: +82-62-950-3995, Fax: +82-62-950-3841, E-mail: bible750@kwu.ac.kr
Volume 25, Number 6, Pages 521-33, December 2025.
J Korean Soc Dent Hyg 2025;25(6):521-33. https://doi.org/10.13065/jksdh.2025.25.6.6
Received on October 10, 2025, Revised on October 22, 2025, Accepted on November 16, 2025, Published on December 30, 2025.
Copyright © 2025 Journal of Korean Society of Dental Hygiene.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0).
Objectives: This study aimed to identify the factors influencing health promotion behaviors among dental hygiene students in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, focusing on digital literacy, e-health literacy, and attitudes towards online health information. Methods: A total of 195 students enrolled in dental hygiene departments participated in a survey we conducted between June and August 2025. The survey responses were analyzed using SPSS. Results: Daily internet use for 3–4 hours, regular exercise, abstaining from alcohol consumption and smoking, adequate rest and sleep, health interest, subjective health status, academic satisfaction, and positive attitudes toward online health information were found to be significant predictors of health promotion behaviors (all p<0.001). Conclusions: These findings suggest that improving the health promotion behaviors of dental hygiene students requires attention to digital literacy, e-health literacy, and proactive attitudes towards online health information. Accordingly, the development of educational programs tailored to the digital era, emphasizing practical applications of health information, is recommended.
Digital literacy, Dental hygiene, e-health literacy, Health-promoting behavior, Internet health information