Lee Soon Young, Kim Yejin, Kim Bomgyeol, Lee Sang Gyu, Jang Suk-Yong, Kim Tae Hyun
Department of Strategic Planning Part, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
JMIR Aging. 2025 Jun 5;8:e64974. doi: 10.2196/64974.
With an aging population driven by advances in medical technology, digital literacy has become essential for improving the quality of life of older adults, enhancing access to health information, and promoting healthy lifestyles. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced the subjective health perceptions and healthy lifestyle behaviors of older adults. However, there is limited research exploring the relationship between digital literacy, subjective health perceptions, and healthy lifestyle behaviors in Korea.
This study aimed to investigate digital literacy's impact on Korean older adults' subjective health status and healthy lifestyle behaviors.
Data of 8664 respondents (aged 65 years and older) from the 2020 National Survey of the Older Koreans were analyzed. Digital literacy was measured based on the use of IT devices (ITDs), difficulty using online information, and inconvenience of ITDs. Statistical analyses, such as the Rao-Scott chi-square test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, and multiple regression analysis, were conducted.
Respondents with above-average ITD use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.73, 95% CI 1.50-1.99) and less difficulty using online information (aOR 1.41, 95% CI 1.24-1.61) had higher odds of perceiving themselves as healthy. Conversely, high difficulty using ITDs was associated with lower odds of respondents perceiving themselves as healthy (aOR 0.84, 95% CI 0.82-0.87). Furthermore, high ITD use predicted engagement in healthy lifestyle behaviors (aOR 1.51, 95% CI 1.33-1.72), whereas high difficulty using ITDs predicted lower odds of engagement (aOR 0.94, 95% CI 0.92-0.97). In contrast, there was no difference in the odds of engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors regardless of difficulty using online information (aOR 1.03, 95% CI 0.92-1.15).
This study underscores the significant association between digital literacy and improved health outcomes among older adults. Promotion of digital literacy and relevant policies is essential to help older adults effectively obtain health information online, thereby improving their quality of life and overall health.
在医疗技术进步推动人口老龄化的背景下，数字素养已成为提高老年人生活质量、增加获取健康信息机会以及促进健康生活方式的关键要素。此外，新冠疫情可能影响了老年人的主观健康认知和健康生活方式行为。然而，在韩国，探索数字素养、主观健康认知与健康生活方式行为之间关系的研究有限。
本研究旨在调查数字素养对韩国老年人主观健康状况和健康生活方式行为的影响。
分析了2020年韩国老年人全国调查中8664名受访者（年龄65岁及以上）的数据。数字素养通过信息技术设备（ITD）的使用情况、使用在线信息的难度以及ITD带来的不便程度来衡量。进行了诸如Rao-Scott卡方检验、Wilcoxon秩和检验和多元回归分析等统计分析。
信息技术设备使用水平高于平均水平的受访者（调整后的优势比[aOR]为1.73，95%置信区间为1.50-1.99）以及使用在线信息困难较小的受访者（aOR为1.41，95%置信区间为1.24-1.61）认为自己健康的几率更高。相反，使用信息技术设备困难较大与受访者认为自己健康的几率较低相关（aOR为0.84，95%置信区间为0.82-0.87）。此外，信息技术设备使用水平高预示着会参与健康生活方式行为（aOR为1.51，95%置信区间为1.33-1.72），而使用信息技术设备困难大则预示着参与几率较低（aOR为0.94，95%置信区间为0.92-0.97）。相比之下，无论使用在线信息的难度如何，参与健康生活方式行为的几率没有差异（aOR为1.03，95%置信区间为0.92-1.15）。
本研究强调了数字素养与老年人健康状况改善之间的显著关联。推广数字素养及相关政策对于帮助老年人有效在线获取健康信息、从而提高他们的生活质量和整体健康至关重要。
