eHealth literacy in older adults in Tamaulipas, Mexico

Abstract

Introduction: The increased use of technology in recent years has facilitated the management of information and health services. However, many older adults lack the skills to safely use technology for health purposes. Objective: To describe eHealth literacy and its relationship with age, schooling and time spent on the Internet among older adults in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Methodology: A descriptive-correlational study was conducted with a consecutive sample of 190 people aged 60 years or over who use the Internet and have a mobile device. Those with Alzheimer's disease or dementia were excluded. A questionnaire and the eHealth scale were used to collect data, and the study was approved by the Ethics and Research Committee. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Of the participants, 52.6 % were women with an average age of 67.2 years and an average of 9.5 years of schooling. They spent an average of 3.5 hours per day on the Internet and had an average eHealth literacy score of 22.3. A statistically significant relationship was found between eHealth literacy and both age (p<0.05) and time spent online (p<0.05), but not with years of schooling (p>0.05). Conclusions: eHealth literacy was low, with older adults having limited skills in searching for, understanding, and evaluating health information on the Internet. Health professionals must guide older adults on how and where to access health information on the Internet, enabling them to benefit from these tools.