Students will create an original digital health literacy learning curriculum for a designated audience. This “translational research” is designed to create a component of digital health literacy curriculum that is “usable,” “accessible,” and “meaningful” and that provides “practical tools for implementation” (see Parker & Thorson, Ch. 12). Specifically, this assignment involves the following elements: (a) proposal with identification of specific need, purpose and translational components, (b) research-informed articulation of digital health literacy barriers and opportunities particular to this audience, (c) stipulation of learning outcomes, and (d) creation of one learning module (designed for approximately 45-minute learning session) using best practices regarding digital health literacy training guidelines.

1. Running Head: DIGITAL HEALTH LITERACY PROJECT
Digital Health Literacy Project
Megan Wilson
COM 668
Queens University of Charlotte

2. DIGITAL HEALTH LITERACY PROJECT Wilson 2
Digital Health Literacy Project: Why Seek Assistance for Treating Anxiety or Depression?
Project Proposal
The Target Audience. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, even
though there are over 40 million adults with anxiety (18.1% of the population), only 36.9% receive some
type of treatment ("Facts & Statistics", 2018). This means that 63% (over 25 million) with anxiety go
untreated. 16 million American adults live with depression, and 1 in 5 Americans experience some type
of mental illness—18.5% of the population ("Mental Health by the Numbers", 2018). This is a huge
portion of the US population to suffer without treatment. This project seeks to target this population
and educate them on the importance of treatment and how it is available in various formats based on a
person’s wants and more importantly, their needs.
Digital Health Literacy Barriers. There are a variety of reasons why a person with a diagnosed
mental illness won’t seek help. One reason being stigma. Berger, Wagner, and Baker (2005) state that
people often conceal stigmatized health conditions [anxiety, depression, etc.], or avoid situations that
may reveal these conditions” (p. 1821). This fear limits a person’s ability to find treatment and, in turn,
harms a person’s home or work life (p. 1822). MakeItOkay.Org is a national campaign created to combat
stigma associated with mental illness. They define stigma as “a set of negative and often unfair beliefs
that society has about something” ("Make It OK - Stop mental illness stigma", 2018). This lack of
understanding in society is harmful to those with a mental illness and impedes their willingness to seek
treatment. The National Alliance on Mental Illness states it simply: “Navigating life with a mental health
condition can be tough, and the isolation and blame that is often encouraged by stigma can create huge
challenges to moving forward in one’s recovery journey” ("There is a Virus Spreading Across the
Country. It’s Stigma. Do You Have It?", 2018). It is clear—stigma hinders wellness. This project seeks to
empower those to overcome this obstacle.

3. DIGITAL HEALTH LITERACY PROJECT Wilson 3
Another barrier is the lack of mental health literacy. Jorm (2000) defines this as the “knowledge
and believes about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management or prevention” (p. 396).
This, combined with stigma, creates a barrier many cannot overcome. Rüsch et al. (2011) state that Poor
knowledge reduces care seeking presumably because individuals who do not recognize symptoms of
mental illness and are unaware of available treatments are less likely to seek help” (p. 675). If the public
cannot recognize the what mental illness is, how can they recognize it in themselves or their loved ones?
In turn, if this recognition never happens, how can treatment be sought? This module seeks to answer
these questions and provide next steps for those that choose to take it.
Digital Health Literacy Needs. This project seeks to educate those with anxiety and depression
on not only how to recognize the symptoms both diagnosis (in earlier modules) but help them
understand the various treatment options. It also seeks to show people that there are many modalities
treatment can take—face-to-face, online (email, text, video, phone), support groups, or even family and
friends. People have the options to choose what will work for their schedules and personalities.
Knowledge is important as “many members of the public cannot correctly recognize mental
disorders and do not understand the meanings of psychiatric terms” (Jorm, 2000, p. 396). Having the
understanding of what is anxiety and depression allows the public to face the barrier of a lack in digital
health literacy and increase their understanding of what the illness is and how to recognize the signs (in
themselves or others). “Better knowledge about mental illness and available treatments as well as more
positive attitudes of tolerance and support for community care predict stronger intentions to seek help
and to disclose a mental illness to friends and relatives” Rüsch et al., 2011, p. 677). Knowledge can also
lead to ending the stigma associated with mental illness by helping people know how to define what is
wrong so one can know how to articulate what is wrong and how others can help.
Knowing the various treatment options and where the options can be found aids in both stigma
and health literacy. For those that are afraid to self-disclose to those around them, they may turn

4. DIGITAL HEALTH LITERACY PROJECT Wilson 4
towards non-traditional treatment options. “In light of the reluctance of those affected by stigmatized
illnesses to seek treatment or to ask health professionals for health information, the internet may prove
to be a useful tool for patient education and public health outreach” (Berger, Wagner, and Baker, 2005,
p. 1822). This important as anonymity and control that the internet provides a sense of comfort to those
with a mental illness (Prizant-Passal et al., 2016, p. 222). The person does not need to deal with others
overhearing what they are asking or can take the time they need to need to process the information
that they are given and form a response. The asynchronicity the internet provides also allows for those
that choose text therapy to not worry about what they look like and concentrate on what they are trying
to say.
Instructional Learning Outcomes
Module Location
This is the final lesson of six. In previous five lessons, the audience will have learned about what
anxiety and depression are (common symptoms), benefits of treatment, what are the different times of
treatments (types of therapy), modalities (online, face-to-face, social support). This module takes what
the audience learned in the previous lessons to be able to analyze the information they have learned
and evaluate their needs to determine what form of treatment or support might work for them the best.
The Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
The Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy’s (RBT) goal was in “strengthening the alignment of standards
with instruction and assessment serves to focus instruction with the intention of making teaching more
effective” (Pickard, 2007, p. 3). This was done by evaluating and restricting the single dimension of the
original Bloom’s Taxonomy into two: Cognitive Process Dimension and Knowledge Dimension.
Cognitive process dimension: Evaluate. The learning module focuses on the evaluation stage of
the RBT. The University of Arkansas’s Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support website define this
as “making judgments based on criteria and standards through checking and critiquing” ("Using Bloom’s

5. DIGITAL HEALTH LITERACY PROJECT Wilson 5
Taxonomy to Write Effective Learning Objectives", 2018). By the end of the module, I want the audience
to understand what anxiety and depression are, the various treatment options, modalities of treatment,
as well as resources.
Also, the module contains a guide—a flow-chart that allows the reader to figure out which
therapeutic modality is best for them ("Therapy", 2018). This chart encourages the audience to perform
a self-assessment—analyze their preferences and needs and consider the options but focus on one
avenue for moving forward. This meets the keywords of the RBT’s cognitive process dimension of
evaluate: “choose, support, relate, determine, defend, judge, grade, compare, contrast, argue, justify,
support, convince, select, evaluate” ("Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Write Effective Learning Objectives",
2018). The audience will have to complete each of these to decide what might work best for them.
Knowledge dimension: Procedural. The RBT defines procedural knowledge as “how to do
something, methods of inquiry, and criteria for using skills, algorithms, techniques, and methods”
(Pickard, 2007, p. 5) or simply put the “series or sequence of steps to follow” (p. 6). At the end of the
lesson, the audience will be able to use the flow chart mentioned above to analyze the information they
were given, follow the steps listed on the guide, and apply it to the life, with and without the guide. The
chart allows the audience to analyze the information they have been given, perform a self-assessment,
evaluate their needs and past experiences, and apply what they find out about the resources they are
given.
Justification of learning objective. 18.5% of the US population experiences some type of mental
illness ("Mental Health by the Numbers", 2018). Of those diagnosed with anxiety (18.1% of the
population), 63% go untreated ("Facts & Statistics", 2018). This is a staggering amount, and this module
seeks to encourage the audience to seek treatment of some sort. By educating the public of the myriad
of ways a person can seek treatment, it may encourage someone to try something different that they
may not have considered—to take a step they abandoned years ago because their first (or second or

6. DIGITAL HEALTH LITERACY PROJECT Wilson 6
third) journey towards wellness stopped. Or, they have never tried or were recently diagnosed. This is
important as not only is there an increase of those with mental illness to have a chronic medical
condition, but “suicide is the 10th
leading cause of death of those in the U.S.” ("Mental Health by the
Numbers", 2018). This lesson seeks to inform the public, so these statistics become out-of-date, invalid,
and increase the survival rate of those with mental illness.
Learning objective. By the end of the lesson, the student will be able to understand what
anxiety and depression is (symptoms), why treatment is important, the various forms of treatment
available, the modalities of treatment, ways to evaluate what form of treatment may be best for them,
and where to go for resources or to find assistance. This is the final lesson of 6 and focuses on evaluating
their needs, and what modality of treatment may be best for them. By using the Therapy Option Guide
from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the audience can look at the various options
for therapy and read a brief description of the type ("Therapy", 2018). It is printable and also contains
the phone number and text information for who to contact in a crisis. The hope is that the audience will
use this guide, if not at this point, at some point in the future. By increasing a person’s knowledge of
what mental illness is and how they can navigate their own path towards mental well-being, maybe the
stigma of mental illness will disappear.

7. DIGITAL HEALTH LITERACY PROJECT Wilson 7
References
Berger, M., Wagner, T.H. and Baker, L.C. (2005). Internet use and stigmatized illness. Social Science and
Medicine, 61 (October), 1821—7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.03.025
Facts & Statistics. (2018). Retrieved from https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
Jorm, A.F. Mental health literacy. Public knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders. British Journal of
Psychiatry, 177:396-401, 2000.
Make It OK - Stop mental illness stigma. (2018). Retrieved from https://makeitok.org/#!whatIsStigma
Mental Health by the Numbers. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental
Health-By-the-Numbers
Pickard, M. J. (2007). The new Bloom’s taxonomy: An overview for family and consumer
sciences. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences Education, 25(1), 45–55.
Prizant-Passal, S.; Shechner, T.; Aderka, I.M. Social anxiety and internet use—A meta-analysis: What do
we know? What are we missing? Computers in Human Behavior. 2016,62, 221–229.
Rüsch, N., Evans-Lacko, S., Henderson, C., Flach, C., & Thornicroft, G. (2011). Knowledge and attitudes as
predictors of intentions to seek help for and disclose a mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 62(6),
675-8. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.queens.edu:2048/login?url=
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1095832166?accountid=38688
Therapy. (2018). Retrieved from https://adaa.org/finding-help/treatment/therapy
There is a Virus Spreading Across the Country. It’s Stigma. Do You Have It?. (2018). Retrieved from
https://www.nami.org/Press-Media/Press-Releases/2018/There-is-a-virus-spreading-across-the
country-It
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Write Effective Learning Objectives. (2018). Retrieved from
https://tips.uark.edu/using-blooms-taxonomy/