Age as an important predictor for digital health literacy: Cross-sectional evidence of internet users from an international multisite study in North America and EU countries.
This study investigates digital health literacy across North America and Europe to understand the sociodemographic factors influencing eHealth literacy, specifically the role of age. This international, multi-site population employed a convenience sample across nine countries (N = 1,314) between Apr...
| Published in: | Educational Gerontology Vol. 52; no. 5; pp. 488 - 502 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Ltd
May2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=193123648&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 193123648 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 03601277 EGR jtl: Educational Gerontology issn: 03601277 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: May2026 vid: 52 iid: 5 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania artinfo: ui: 193123648 185297988 193123648 193123648 10.1080/03601277.2025.2505568 193123648 ppf: 488 ppct: 14 formats: tig: atl: Age as an important predictor for digital health literacy: Cross-sectional evidence of internet users from an international multisite study in North America and EU countries. aug: au: Großschädl, Franziska Marston, Hannah R. Ivan, Loredana Prabhu, Vishnu Earle, Sarah affil: Institute of Nursing Science, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria sug: subj: COVID-19 Pandemic Psychosocial Factors COVID-19 Pandemic Psychosocial Factors Age Factors Telemedicine Health Literacy Internet Utilization Sociodemographic Factors Human Male Female Adolescence Adult Middle Age North America Europe Cross Sectional Studies Convenience Sample Snowball Sample Health Informatics Socioeconomic Factors Information Seeking Behavior Digital Technology Educational Status Employment Sex Factors One-Way Analysis of Variance T-Tests Post Hoc Analysis Bivariate Statistics Statistical Significance Data Analysis Software Descriptive Statistics Scales Funding Source Adolescent: 13-18 years Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Male Female ab: This study investigates digital health literacy across North America and Europe to understand the sociodemographic factors influencing eHealth literacy, specifically the role of age. This international, multi-site population employed a convenience sample across nine countries (N = 1,314) between April 2020–2021, presenting significant insights and recommendations for eHealth transformations. Using the eHealth Literacy Scale, a validated self-rated instrument, respondents in North America showed higher (t1641 = 2.18, p-value =.03) eHealth literacy than those in Europe. Respondents from the UK showed the highest scores (34.48 ± 5.45), and those from Spain – the lowest (29.50 ± 6.40). Age had a significant (f4,1292 = 3.73, p-value <.01) impact on the eHEALS scores, whereby respondents aged 50+ years reported higher eHealth literacy than younger respondents. Interaction effects of age*gender and age*employment predicted the highest eHealth literacy among adults aged 50+ years. Our findings reveal high eHEALS scores, suggesting that internet users in North America and Europe are confident in their ability to find and assess eHealth information. The coronavirus pandemic could have led to older people using mobile communication technologies for health purposes and becoming more confident in using digital tools. Offer diverse technology-based learning opportunities for older adults who want to learn about new technologies so that they have better access to their eHealth information. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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