Using Adolescent eHealth Literacy To Weigh Trust in Commercial Web Sites The More Children Know, The Tougher They Are to Persuade

Abstract

As consumers improve their eHealth literacy skills, their trust in commercial Web sites - even ones that provide reliable information - might decrease. Informed by the persuasion knowledge model, this study examined how much adolescents trusted and relied on commercial and brand Web sites as a source of health information. Both before and after an eHealth literacy intervention among 182 middle-schoolers, students perceived commercial and brand Web sites to be the least reliable and trustworthy sources of health information. Practical and managerial implications are discussed regarding advertisers' efforts in the age of new media to uphold social responsibility and regain consumer trust.