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Impact of Health Technology Education on Digital Health Service Utilization among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Digital health technologies are increasingly being used to support healthcare access, health information delivery, health monitoring, communication with healthcare providers, and other health-related services. University students in Nigeria are an important population for digital health interventions because of their relatively high use of mobile phones, internet services, and digital platforms. However, limited awareness of available digital health services, inadequate knowledge of how to use health technologies, concerns about privacy and data security, limited digital health literacy, and uncertainty about the reliability of online health services may affect utilization. Health technology education provides an opportunity to improve students' knowledge, confidence, and ability to appropriately access and use digital health services. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of health technology education on digital health service utilization among university students in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Technology Acceptance Model, Health Belief Model, and Social Cognitive Theory. The Technology Acceptance Model explains how perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of digital health technologies may influence students' willingness to adopt and utilize digital health services. The Health Belief Model explains how students' perceptions of health needs, perceived benefits of digital health services, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence their utilization of digital healthcare platforms. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes self-efficacy, observational learning, behavioural modelling, reinforcement, and environmental influences in developing and maintaining appropriate digital health behaviours. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how health technology education may influence digital health service utilization among university students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise undergraduate students enrolled in selected public and private universities in Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, universities, faculties, departments, academic levels, and eligible students. Health technology education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to digital health education sessions, frequency and duration of education, knowledge of available digital health services, awareness of telemedicine platforms, knowledge of online appointment systems, awareness of digital health records and patient portals where available, knowledge of mobile health applications, understanding of online health information sources, awareness of digital health privacy and data-protection practices, knowledge of how to assess the credibility of digital health services, and confidence in using health technologies. Digital health service utilization will be assessed using indicators such as use of telemedicine services, online health consultations, digital appointment booking, mobile health applications, online health-information services, electronic health portals where available, digital health monitoring tools, virtual health education programmes, and frequency and consistency of using appropriate digital health services. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, digital health knowledge assessment tools, digital health literacy instruments, service-utilization questionnaires, and pre-test and post-test assessments where a quasi-experimental intervention is adopted. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' demographic and academic characteristics, access to digital technologies, internet use, exposure to health technology education, and patterns of digital health service utilization. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the impact of health technology education on digital health service utilization. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, digital health utilization scores before and after the educational intervention may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that health technology education has a significant positive impact on digital health service utilization among university students in Nigeria. Students exposed to structured and practical health technology education are expected to demonstrate greater awareness, confidence, and appropriate utilization of digital health services than students without comparable exposure. Education may improve students' ability to identify suitable digital health services, access telemedicine platforms, use mobile health applications, book appointments electronically, evaluate online health information, and protect their personal health information. Practical demonstrations and guided use of digital health platforms may further improve students' confidence and willingness to use appropriate digital health services. However, poor internet connectivity, cost of data, limited availability of reliable digital health platforms, privacy concerns, low trust in online services, digital literacy differences, and inadequate integration between digital platforms and conventional healthcare services may reduce the effectiveness of education alone. The study therefore expects accessible, practical, user-friendly, and culturally appropriate health technology education, supported by reliable digital health infrastructure and trustworthy digital services, to contribute significantly to improved digital health service utilization among university students in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on digital health, health technology education, telemedicine, digital health literacy, university student health, e-health, mobile health, health-information access, healthcare utilization, health promotion, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, universities, university health services, digital health providers, healthcare professionals, public health practitioners, technology developers, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening digital healthcare access among young adults. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating health technology education into university health-promotion programmes, improving digital health literacy, strengthening student access to reliable telemedicine and mobile health services, promoting digital privacy and data-security awareness, improving the usability of digital health platforms, and developing sustainable digital health education programmes for university students across Nigeria.

Keywords: Health technology education, digital health service utilization, university students, digital health, telemedicine, digital health literacy, mobile health, e-health, healthcare utilization, health promotion, Nigeria, public health.