Zhongguo quanke yixue (Jun 2023)
Habits of Using Online Health Information and eHealth Literacy in Middle-aged and Elderly Residents
Abstract
Background Since the Internet dependence of the supply and demand sides of health popularization is increasing, eHealth literacy has become a primary skill that chronic disease patients need to master. Objective To analyze the current situation and existing problems of online health information usage habits and eHealth literacy in middle-aged and elderly residents, and discuss the relationship between online health information usage habits and eHealth literacy, providing a reference for improving the level of eHealth literacy and developing appropriate Internet-based health popularization services for these populations. Methods From June to September 2021, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 1 061 middle-aged and elderly residents in Shanghai communities selected by multistage sampling using the General Information Questionnaire and the Chinese version of the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS-C) to understand their habits of using online health information and levels of eHealth literacy. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to assess the association of habit of using online health information and other potential candidate factors with the level of eHealth literacy. Results Altogether, 1 019 cases (96.04%) who effectively responded to the survey were included for analysis. Following health care accounts〔411 cases (40.33%) 〕was a major channel used for seeking online health information, followed by the search functionality or engines〔336 cases (32.97%) 〕, while the health apps or mini programs〔254 cases (24.93%) 〕, and online health communities〔65 cases (6.38%) 〕were less used. The online health information was less sourced from medical institutions〔397 cases (38.96%) 〕and medical workers〔187 cases (18.35%) 〕. The average total score of the eHEALS-C for the respondents was (27.62±8.57). The respondents scored lower in item 2〔 (3.36±1.27) points〕and item 6〔 (3.38±1.23) points〕of the eHEALS-C, indicating that they had low awareness of applying online health information to health problems, and low perceived skills at evaluating the online health information. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age, participation in both basic and commercial medical insurance, using at least two channels for seeking online health information, having at least two sources of online health information, the habit of forwarding and sharing online health information, participation in collective online learning, and having an attitude of acceptance towards online health information were influencing factors of the level of eHealth literacy. Conclusion The eHealth literacy of these middle-aged and elderly residents is at a medium level, which is affected by online health information usage habits and other factors. To help them make better use of online health information and to improve their eHealth literacy, it is suggested to spread integrated authoritative information and retrieval platforms among these populations, give priority to supervision and elderly-oriented transformation of online health information platforms, and mobilize community, family, health associations, and commercial medical insurance institutions to co-deliver health-promotion services targeting these people.
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