Digital health literacy is the key ability for residents in the digital age to obtain, understand and use health information, which is crucial for leveraging the value of digital technologies in health promotion and education and for improving the health status of county residents.
To explore the contemporary status and determinants of digital health literacy among urban-rural residents in D County, Guizhou Province, conduct a comparative analysis between urban and rural areas, and to offer insights for enhancing digital health literacy among county residents.
In July 2024, a sampling method combining multi-stage stratified sampling and probability proportional scale sampling (PPS) was adopted in County D, Guizhou Province. A questionnaire survey was conducted among permanent residents, the general information questionnaires were used to collect basic demographic data of county residents, the Electronic Health Literacy Scale (eHEALS) was adopted to measure their digital health literacy levels. Binary Logistic regression approach was employed to examine the determinants of digital health literacy across urban and rural populations in County D.
A total of 6 021 questionnaires were distributed and collected, with 5 928 valid questionnaires, with an effective recovery rate of 98.46%. The total score of the Digital Health Literacy Scale of residents in County D was (30.11±7.89). The total score was (30.24±7.89) among urban residents and (29.96±7.88) among rural residents, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (t=1.423, P>0.05). The rate of overall rate of adequate digital health literacy among residents of county D was 59.35% (3 518/5 928). Specifically, the adequacy rate was 54.08% (1 848/3 147) among urban residents and 60.05% (1 670/2 781) among rural residents, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (χ2=1.079, P>0.05). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that payment method of medical expenses, the level of education, per capita monthly household income, self-assessed health status, attitude toward online health information attitude were the common influencing factors on whether urban and rural residents were qualified in digital health literacy (P<0.05). Age and occupation were the unique influencing factors of whether urban residents were qualified in digital health literacy (P<0.05).
In recent years, the digital health literacy level of county residents has improved, however, substantial room for further improvement remains. NO significant urban-rural differences in digital health literacy was observed in County D among urban and rural areas. It is recomment decl to strengthen the individual's awareness of health responsibility, and establish a integrated improvement mechanism from the individual, family, community and social levels to improve the digital health literacy level of county residents and improve the health status and quality of life of county residents.
Against the backdrop of rapid population aging and digital transformation of health services in China, enhancing digital health literacy (DHL) has emerged as a critical determinant of healthy aging. The current elderly population generally faces a digital divide, with low levels of digital health literacy, especially in terms of obtaining, screening, and applying health information, which presents significant difficulties. It is urgent to explore scientifically effective intervention paths.
Exploring the effectiveness of online and offline training in enhancing DHL among the elderly.
In April 2024, 125 elderly people were recruited from two community hospitals in Shanghai as research subjects through physician recommendations, outpatient promotion, and ward promotion, and 120 elderly people were actually included. The participants were randomly divided into an online intervention group, an offline intervention group, and a control group using a random number table method. The offline intervention group adopted a combination of offline lectures and on-site practical Q&A. Three offline training sessions were organized, each lasting 40 minutes, for a total of 120 minutes. The online intervention group adopted a combination of watching videos and online interaction, pushing 3 training videos, 40 minutes each time, for a total of 120 minutes. The control group did not receive any intervention. Conduct online or offline DHL training on three dimensions: how to search for health resource information, how to distinguish the quality of health resource information, and how to confidently make health information decisions. Pre- and post-intervention comparisons utilized the eHEALS scale to evaluate outcomes.
Before intervention, there was no statistically significant difference in the total eHEALS scores among the three groups (P>0.05) . After intervention, there was a statistically significant difference in the total eHEALS scores among the three groups (P<0.05) , with the online group having a higher eHEALS score than the control group (P<0.05) , the offline group having a higher eHEALS score than the control group (P<0.05) , and the offline group having a higher eHEALS score than the online group (P<0.05) .
Both online and offline education can help improve the digital health literacy of the elderly, and offline education and training have better effects than online education.
Hypertension is characterized by unclear etiology, prolonged disease duration, and incurability, ranking highest in prevalence among metabolic disorders. To alleviate patient burden, hypertension health management (HHM) was incorporated into National Essential Public Health Services Program (NEPHSP). However, patient follow-up rates remain substantially below expected levels. Digital therapeutics (DTx) deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions through high-quality software programs to prevent, manage, or treat hypertension. This approach significantly enhances clinician-patient communication frequency and optimizes healthcare resource utilization efficiency. This study examines hypertension DTx products within the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) product library and published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to explore application prospects in China. Findings indicate that China should draw on international DTx experiences for HHM, leverage socio-environmental factors to enhance stakeholder acceptance of DTx concepts, establish regulatory frameworks aligned with product characteristics, strengthen enterprise's research and development capabilities, and accelerate DTx advancement in hypertension management.
