ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Digit. Health
Sec. Human Factors and Digital Health
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2025.1574263
E-Health literacy and attitudes towards use of Artificial Intelligence among University students in the United Arab Emirates, a Cross-sectional study
Provisionally accepted
Zufishan Alam1
Shamma Nayea Salem Alnuaimi2Hanouf Abubaker Al Shaka2Saif Slayem Saif Alderei2Ahmed Abdulla Ali Bamakhrama2Hayma Khorzom2Hamad Jumaa Mubarak Almaskari2Khalid Abdulrahman Almaamari2Khalifa al seiari al seiari2Mohammed Al Saadi2Nasser Al Shamsi2Omar Al zaabi2Saoud Altamimi2
Aminu S. Abdullahi2
Azhar T Rahma2*- 1Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- 2College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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With the rapid digitalization of healthcare information and the increasing dependability on online health resources, it has become crucial to understand digital health literacy and the use of emerging AI technologies like ChatGPT among stakeholders. This is of particular importance in the United Arab Emirates which has the highest internet penetration rates. This study aimed to assess eHealth literacy and the factors influencing it among university students in the United Arab Emirates. Their attitudes towards ChatGPT use were also explored. Data from participants, studying in the public universities of UAE, was collected between April – July 2024 using eHEALS and TAME Chat GPT instruments. Results indicated a mean E-health literacy score of 29.3 out of 40, with higher scores among females and those in health-related disciplines. It was also found that students with higher E-health literacy perceived ChatGPT as more useful in healthcare, despite their concerns about its risks and potential to replace healthcare professionals. The findings from the study underscore the need of development of tailored digital health curricula, to enhance e-Health literacy particularly in subgroups showing lower literacy scores. Moreover, it is also imperative to develop guidelines for responsible and ethical AI use in health information seeking.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, Chat GPT, e-health literacy, healthcare, higher education, United Arab Emirates
Received: 10 Feb 2025; Accepted: 31 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alam, Alnuaimi, Abubaker Al Shaka, Alderei, Bamakhrama, Khorzom, Almaskari, Almaamari, al seiari, Al Saadi, Al Shamsi, Al zaabi, Altamimi, Abdullahi and Rahma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Azhar T Rahma, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin, 15551, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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