Research in Community and Public Health Nursing

Original Article

[English] Digital Health Literacy and Associated Factors Among Older Adults Living Alone in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study: Minhwa Hwang, Gahye Kim, Seonghyeon Lee, Yeon-Hwan Park; Res Community Public Health Nurs. 2024;35(4):389-400. Published online December 30, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.12799/rcphn.2024.00766

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Purpose
This study aimed to examine the level of digital health literacy and identify factors associated with digital health literacy among older adults living alone in South Korea.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 140 older adults aged 65 and above who live alone. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric methods were used to explore the relationship between digital health literacy and independent variables. A generalized linear model was used to identify factors associated with digital health literacy.
Results
Among 140 smartphone-owning older adults living alone, 52.1% were using the Internet via digital devices, and the participants’ average digital health literacy score was 6.64±7.46. Univariate analysis results showed significant differences in digital health literacy according to age, education level, and multimorbidity. The factors associated with digital health literacy were identified as gender (B=−0.36, p=.031), age (B=−0.06, p<.001), education level (B=0.12, p<.001), and sleep problems (B=−0.06, p=.006).
Conclusion
Despite widespread Internet and smartphone use, older adults living alone with chronic diseases showed low levels of digital health literacy, which were significantly associated with gender, age, education level, and sleep problems. Enhancing digital health literacy among vulnerable populations is crucial for the effective implementation of digital health services. Collaborative efforts, including tailored digital health interventions to enhance the digital health literacy of vulnerable populations and supportive policies, are essential to bridge the digital divide and promote health equity.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Explainable Machine Learning for Assessing Digital Health Literacy in Older Adults: Validation and Development of a Two-Stage Model Integrating Performance-Based and Self-Assessed Indicators
Choonghee Park, Jiyeon Park, Seora Kim, Ye Seul Bae, Jae-Heon Kang, Tae-Min Kim, Ji-Won Chun
JMIR Medical Informatics.2026; 14: e86171. CrossRef
Digital health literacy scale in older adults: A study on the validity and reliability of the Turkish version
Gülcan Bahcecioglu Turan, Mizgin Demir, Zülfünaz Özer
Geriatric Nursing.2026; 71: 104101. CrossRef
Effects of a digital repetitive dietary education intervention on dietary knowledge, dietary self-care behaviors, and physiological indicators among hemodialysis patients in rural Korea: a quasi-experimental study
Eun-Ho Ha, Sun-Ju Park
Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science.2026; 28(2): 275. CrossRef
Sex Differences in Health Literacy and Health-Promoting Behaviors Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Hypertension: Implications for Home Health Nursing Practice
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Home Health Care Management & Practice.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Associations of General Self-Efficacy and Digital Health Literacy with Self-Management and Intention to Use Digital Health Services Among Adults Aged 50 Years and Older with Chronic Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study
Pınar Soylar, Gülsüm Aşan, Bircan Ulaş Kadıoğlu
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2026; 23(7): 943. CrossRef
Determinants of self-reported health literacy among older adults in South Korea: a cross-sectional study
Jieun Shin, Seunghui Baek
Frontiers in Public Health.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Analysis of factors influencing digital literacy of rural elderly people-evidence from China
Zhaoting Zhang
BMC Public Health.2025;[Epub] CrossRef

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