Digital Health Literacy and Self-Reported Health in Older Adults: The Role of Social Support in Internet Use.

Background: Digital health literacy (DHL) may be important in promoting health. However, there is little understanding of how social support and utilizing electronic resources are associated with DHL. Objectives: To assess whether perceived social support of internet use, use of digital resources, a...

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Publicado en:Journal of Primary Care & Community Health Vol. 17; pp. 1 - 10
Autores principales: Baron-Epel, Orna, Neter, Efrat, Eliyahu, Ester, Chang, Peter W. S., Duong, Tuyen V., Levin-Zamir, Diane
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. 2/18/2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: 2/18/2026
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        atl: Digital Health Literacy and Self-Reported Health in Older Adults: The Role of Social Support in Internet Use.
      aug:
        au:
          Baron-Epel, Orna
          Neter, Efrat
          Eliyahu, Ester
          Chang, Peter W. S.
          Duong, Tuyen V.
          Levin-Zamir, Diane
        affil: University of Haifa, Israel
      sug:
        subj:
          Health Literacy Evaluation
          Internet Utilization
          Digital Health Utilization
          Self Report
          Health Status
          Support, Social Psychosocial Factors
          Human
          Israel
          Male
          Female
          Aged
          Aged, 80 and Over
          Cross Sectional Studies
          Descriptive Statistics
          Data Analysis Software
          Linear Regression
          Confidence Intervals
          Health Services
          Health Resource Utilization
          Interviews
          Mediation Analysis
          Aged: 65+ years
          Aged, 80 & over
          Male
          Female
      ab: Background: Digital health literacy (DHL) may be important in promoting health. However, there is little understanding of how social support and utilizing electronic resources are associated with DHL. Objectives: To assess whether perceived social support of internet use, use of digital resources, and medical services serve as mediators and moderators in the pathway between DHL and self-reported health (SRH). Methods: A cross-sectional telephone survey of 587 respondents aged 60+ was conducted in Israel in 2024. Respondents reported their DHL, SRH, perceived support of internet use, use of digital resources, and sociodemographic measures. Information regarding their actual use of digital health services for 2024 was retrieved from the healthcare service database. Statistical analyses were performed using moderation mediation models with SRH as the dependent variable. Results: Perceived social support in internet use was a significant mediator between DHL and SRH. The direct effect was 0.0046 (CI 0.001, 0.008) and the indirect effect was 0.0017 (CI 0.0005, 0.003). Use of digital resources and services were not associated with SRH and do not serve as significant moderators of the association between DHL and SRH. Conclusions: As more medical services have and are becoming digitalized the importance of the digital divide is increasing. Perceived support in using digital resources may enable individuals to overcome the digital divide and benefit from the digital resources available. It is important to note that findings are correlational due to the cross-sectional nature of the study.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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