Digital health literacy among the ageing population: A comparative cross-sectional study between rural and urban Telangana, India.

BACKGROUND

Digital health literacy (DHL) is the confluence where health literacy meets digital literacy. DHL has been labelled as one of the digital determinants of health by the World Health Organization. The present study estimated and compared the DHL between Telangana's urban and rural ageing adults, and their potential determinants.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was undertaken among 318 of the ageing individuals (≥45 years) of Hyderabad, visiting the primary health centres in the rural and urban field practice during March 2023. A Telugu version of the eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS) and health literacy scale tools were administered by the interviewers. Adjusted analysis was conducted by multiple linear regression method.

RESULTS

Overall, 20.4% of the study participants had good DHL, with a similar proportion between rural and urban areas (rural-20.1% and urban-20.8%, p value-0.889). The median eHealth literacy score among the study participants was 8. While 36.5% and 45.9% had smartphones and standard analogue phones, respectively in urban areas, only 19.5% and 38.4% had smartphones and standard analogue phones, respectively in rural areas. Computer usage in the past month, higher educational qualification, and ownership of mobile phones were significant determinants of DHL. A mild but significant correlation between DHL and health literacy screening scores was found.

CONCLUSION

Considering the low DHL among the ageing population, enabling environment with enhanced access to mobile phones/smartphones and familiarity with information and communication technology gadgets must be established to improve their DHL.