Exploring E-health-literacy-related behaviours and information-seeking practices among university students in Saudi Arabia: a 2024 cross-sectional survey

Background The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated reliance on digital health information, while simultaneously intensifying exposure to misinformation. In this context, digital health literacy and information-seeking behaviour have become critical for informed decision-making, particularly among university students who are highly engaged in digital environments. Aim This study aimed to investigate digital-health-literacy-related behaviours, health information-seeking behaviour, and the use of official and AI-supported digital health tools among university students in Saudi Arabia in 2024. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted between April and May 2024 among university students across Saudi Arabia using a convenience sampling approach. Data were collected via an online questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics, digital health engagement, information-seeking behaviour, verification practices, and perceptions of Ministry of Health (MOH) digital services and AI-based tools. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric analyses were performed using SPSS and R. Results A total of 506 students participated. However, self-diagnosis behaviours were less frequent. Participants reported using multiple digital platforms simultaneously, with search engines and video-based platforms being the most dominant. Verification behaviour was common, involving both formal sources (e.g., government platforms and scientific literature) and informal sources (e.g., family and peers). Familiarity with established MOH services was relatively high, Trust in AI-supported tools was moderate, with most participants preferring to confirm digital outputs with healthcare professionals. Conclusion University students demonstrate active but cautious engagement with digital health information. Their behaviour is characterised by multi-platform use, layered verification, and continued reliance on professional healthcare. These findings may inform efforts to strengthen digital-health-literacy-related behaviours and improve trust in official digital health services to support safer health decision-making in current digital health environments.