Factors associated with eHealth literacy focusing on digital literacy components: A cross-sectional study of middle-aged adults in South Korea

Abstract

Background Digital technology has dramatically changed the world in which we live, and the ability to access and understand information through these new technologies is becoming increasingly important. eHealth literacy is closely related to digital literacy, and some concepts may overlap to a certain extent. Identifying personal and digital-related factors related to eHealth literacy levels in middle-aged adults would be useful for planning tailored interventions and health promotion strategies. Objective We aimed to identify the differences in digital literacy and eHealth literacy levels according to demographic features, and to elucidate the factors associated with eHealth literacy in the middle-aged population. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, observational study from 4th to 8th February 2021. A total of 320 South Korean participants aged 40–64 years were recruited and completed an online questionnaire, where demographic features, chronic disease status, frequency of Internet use, digital skills, digital competence, and eHealth literacy were measured. eHealth literacy was measured with the eHEALS. We used multiple regression analysis to elucidate the factors associated with eHealth literacy. Results Multiple regression analysis revealed that digital competence was the highest contributor to an individual's eHealth literacy ( β = 0.330, P < 0.001), while digital skills was not significantly associated with eHealth literacy ( β = 0.086, P = 0.267). In addition, eHealth literacy was positively associated with increasing age ( β = 0.258, P < 0.001), female gender ( β = −0.118, P = 0.022), and higher education levels ( β = 0.114, P = 0.041), while marital state, chronic disease, and frequency of internet use were not significantly associated with eHealth literacy. Conclusions Our study provides valuable information on digital literacy and eHealth literacy in middle-aged adults and may be used to guide tailored interventions for improving eHealth literacy. Future studies should consider the differences in digital literacy levels across generations when assessing eHealth literacy or planning digital health interventions.

Associations between health literacy, digital skill, and eHealth literacy among older Chinese adults: A cross-sectional study

“… 42 Older adults with a high level of digital skills may have a stronger self-efficacy in using electronic devices, which may reduce their computer use pressure and improve their ability to obtain and use online health information and services, thus showing a high level of eHealth literacy. However, it should be noted that the results of a study of middle-aged adults in South Korea found that digital skills were not significantly associated with eHealth literacy, 43 contrary to our findings. This difference may be related to the different research populations and measurement tools for digital skills, which suggests that it is necessary to further explore the relationship between digital skills and eHealth literacy in a wider population.…”

Health Anxiety and eHealth Literacy as Predictors of Cyberchondria in Women

“…The participants in the study have an above-average level of eHealth literacy. It has been reported that individuals' eHealth literacy ranges from low (28) to medium (20,30) to high (12). Similar to our results, community-based studies conducted in Lebanon (30) and Korea (12) found that participants held a moderate level of eHealth literacy.…”

“…Access to online health information has potential benefits in educating women about the nature, causes, prevention, and treatment of certain health conditions (2,3,6,9,12). However, uncontrolled online sharing of all kinds of true or false information (8) may cause exposure to confusing, unreliable, contradictory information and increase health anxiety (3).…”

“…Online health information seeking can expose users to potentially harmful consequences (such as self-diagnosis and self-treatment) (8,14) and lead to increased levels of health anxiety (ranging from no anxiety to pathological anxiety), characterized by fears and worries about perceived symptoms (4,14). Therefore, eHealth literacy, which consists of individuals' ability to access and use high-quality information online, navigate various information sources, and think critically about media and science issues, has become a public health priority (12,15). eHealth literacy is the ability to search, find, understand, and evaluate health information from digital sources to identify or solve a health-related problem (15).…”

“…eHealth literacy is the ability to search, find, understand, and evaluate health information from digital sources to identify or solve a health-related problem (15). eHealth literacy is known to play a mediating role in improving individuals' health management, controlling and preventing diseases, facilitating the identification of symptoms and treatment options, and simplifying communication between health professionals and patients (6,12,16).…”