Özet:

The fear of COVID-19 may lead to many negative consequences. Therefore, it is important to address the antecedents of COVID-19 fear for better preventing fear of COVID-19. Cyberchondria can pose a great threat to individuals during the pandemic period, when health-related information is widely spread and followed closely and with great interest by the society. On the other hand, e-Health literacy has become more important during the pandemic period. In this study, it was aimed to reveal the impact of e-Health literacy and cyberchondria severity on fear of COVID-19. In Türkiye, the research population was made up of people between the ages of 18 and 74. A total of 960 people were reached through online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted four parts. The sociodemographic information about the participants was given in the first part. In the second part, "The e-Health Literacy Scale"; in the third part, “Cyberchondria Severity Scale” and in the fourth part “The Fear of COVID-19 Scale” were used. According to the study findings; the level of e-Health literacy and cyberchondria had a significant impact on fear of COVID-19, both separately and together. The increase in the e-Health literacy level of the participants statistically reduced the fear of COVID-19, while the increase in the level of cyberchondria increased the fear of COVID-19. The findings could be useful for healthcare professionals, healthcare administrators and policymakers to take further steps towards raising individuals' e-Health literacy, which could facilitate dealing with devastating epidemics such as COVID-19 in societies. Also, it may help to prioritizing raising awareness about cyberchondria and online health information seeking behaviors.

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