Table 2.
Univariable comparison of demographic, socioeconomic, and technology use factors in eHealth literacy (analysis adjusted for the clustering effect of primary health care practices).
| Variable | Low eHealth literacy (eHEALSa<26) (n=154), n (%) |
High eHealth literacy (eHEALS≥26) (n=299), n (%) |
Overall (N=453) n (%) |
P value | |
| Male | 124 (80.5) | 220 (73. 6) | 344 (75.9) | .10 | |
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 68 (8) | 66 (8) | 67 (8) | .01 | |
|
|
Age <65 years, n (%) | 49 (32) | 121 (40.5) | 170 (37.5) | .02 |
|
|
Age 65-70 years, n (%) 50 (32) |
108 (36.1) | 158 (34.9) |
|
|
|
|
Age >70 years, n (%) | 55 (36) | 70 (23) | 125 (27.6) |
|
| History of coronary heart disease, n (%) | 49 (32) | 92 (31) | 141 (31.1) | .82 | |
| Taking >3 CVDb medications | 30 (19) | 73 (24) | 103 (22.7) | .24 | |
| Education level, n (%) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
None, primary, or secondary | 54 (35) | 67 (22) | 121 (26.7) | .007 |
|
|
Technical or vocational training | 32 (21) | 58 (19) | 90 (20) |
|
|
|
Undergraduate or postgraduate | 68 (44) | 174 (58.2) | 242 (53.4) |
|
| Income (in Aus $ per week), n (%) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<1000 | 30 (19) | 56 (19) | 86 (20) | .55 |
|
|
1000-2000 | 54 (35) | 126 (42.1) | 180 (39.7) |
|
|
|
>2000 | 45 (29) | 82 (27) | 127 (28.0) |
|
| Private insurance, n (%) | 118 (76.6) | 249 (83.3) | 367 (81.0) | .09 | |
| Main device used to access the Internet, n (%) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Desktop computer | 62 (40) | 132 (44.1) | 194 (42.8) | .53 |
|
|
Laptop | 59 (38) | 100 (33.4) | 159 (35.1) |
|
|
|
Mobile phone or tablet | 31 (20) | 67 (22) | 98 (22) |
|
| Spends >1 hour on Internet per day | 56 (36) | 179 (60.0) | 235 (55.8) | <.001 | |
| eHEALS score, mean (SD) | 19.89 (4.909) | 30.96 | 27.2 | <.001 | |
aeHEALS: eHealth Literacy Scale.
bCVD: cardiovascular disease.