Digital Technology Use for Health and eHealth Literacy in a Very Remote Aboriginal Community in the Northern Territory, Australia: A Community‐Based Study.
Introduction: Digital technologies can significantly improve access to healthcare, education and social services. However, there is limited evidence on the extent of ownership and use of digital devices in remote Aboriginal communities. This study aimed to examine digital technology use, internet av...
| Published in: | Australian Journal of Rural Health Vol. 34; no. 3; pp. 1 - 12 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
Jun2026
|
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=194916937&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 194916937 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 10385282 FQO jtl: Australian Journal of Rural Health issn: 10385282 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Jun2026 vid: 34 iid: 3 pid: 480 pub: Wiley-Blackwell place: Malden, Massachusetts artinfo: ui: 194916937 194916937 194916937 10.1111/ajr.70210 194916937 ppf: 1 ppct: 11 formats: tig: atl: Digital Technology Use for Health and eHealth Literacy in a Very Remote Aboriginal Community in the Northern Territory, Australia: A Community‐Based Study. aug: au: Khanal, Vishnu Saurman, Emily Newton, Nicki Von Huben, Amy Wilson, Kureisha Comachio, Josielli Coombes, Karina Puruntatameri, Alexandar Norris, Sarah Makeham, Meredith Dickson, Michelle Taylor, Sean Burgess, Paul Cockayne, Tamsin Reeve, David Edwards, David Lloyd, Alison Wakerman, John Shaw, Tim Russell, Deborah affil: Menzies School of Health Research, Remote Health Systems and Climate Change Centre, Charles Darwin University, Alice Springs Northern Territory,, Australia sug: subj: Digital Technology Utilization Aboriginal Australians Psychosocial Factors Rural Population Psychosocial Factors Internet Access Evaluation Internet Utilization Intention Evaluation Health Literacy Digital Health Human Funding Source Northern Territory Male Female Cross Sectional Studies Structured Questionnaires Scales Descriptive Statistics Data Analysis Software Health Information Access to Information Middle Age Age Factors Cellular Phone Text Messaging Rural Areas Middle Aged: 45-64 years Male Female ab: Introduction: Digital technologies can significantly improve access to healthcare, education and social services. However, there is limited evidence on the extent of ownership and use of digital devices in remote Aboriginal communities. This study aimed to examine digital technology use, internet availability and use, intention to use technology for health and eHealth literacy in a very remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. Methods: A face‐to‐face community‐based structured survey was implemented by local Aboriginal community‐based researchers in a very remote island community of the NT. Results: Approximately 20% (n = 46) of the community participated in the study. Seventeen respondents did not own a digital device. While 17 reported having no internet access, two‐thirds of those who had internet access (n = 29) were using prepaid mobile data. Twenty‐three of the participants reported accessing health information online and eight reported having received a text message reminder about a health appointment. Only three individuals did not want to use a digital device for health. The mean score for eHealth literacy was 23.7; range 8–40. Overall, younger respondents (18–44 years) had higher eHealth literacy than those aged 45 and over. Conclusion: The use of digital technologies was common; however, its application for healthcare was limited, despite community members' interest in using devices to access health information. Limited use, together with low eHealth literacy scores, and gaps in internet connectivity and mobile phone ownership suggest unmet needs for more accessible community digital infrastructure (e.g., community WiFi), and greater personal access to devices. Summary: What is already known on this topic? ○People living in remote and very remote communities have difficulty accessing digital technologies, with access barriers including financial and geographic issues.○Digital technologies are being increasingly used to support and provide health services in Australia.What this paper adds ○The vast majority of remote residents participating in this survey wanted to use digital technologies to support their health.○Mobile phone ownership and use were common, despite service limitations. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
|---|