ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1661177
This article is part of the Research TopicDesigning for Engagement in Digital Health for Chronic and Long-Term CareView all 12 articles
Digital health literacy among older adults in China: A cross-sectional study on prevalence and influencing factors
Provisionally accepted
- West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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Background: The rapid integration of digital technologies into healthcare has emphasised the importance of digital health literacy (DHL) in enhancing health outcomes. Despite the increasing adoption of the internet among older adults in China, disparities in eHealth literacy persist, necessitating urgent investigation. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the status and predictors of DHL among older adults in Sichuan Province, China. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from October to December 2024 using a multistage stratified sampling method. Data were collected using the Chinese version of the eHEALS questionnaire. Univariate and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of DHL, adjusting for sociodemographic, health-related, and internet use variables. Results: A total of 1,202 valid responses from adults aged 60 years and over were analysed. Only 30.45% (n = 366) of participants met the eHEALS threshold (mean total score: 22.30 ± 10.62). Sociodemographic factors (residence and gender), internet behaviours, and training experience were all significantly associated with DHL among older adults. Conclusions: This study reveals suboptimal digital health literacy among older adults in China, driven by rural–urban disparities, gender gaps and limited digital engagement. In future, interventions tailored to specific needs, such as community-based training, telemedicine promotion and family-supported digital education, will be critical in bridging this gap.
Keywords: digital health literacy, e-health literacy, digital divide, older adults, Internet, China
Received: 10 Jul 2025; Accepted: 05 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Yuan and Jiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jie Jiang, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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