Cross-Sectional Study on Health Literacy and Internet Accessibility Among Patients With DM in Gansu, China

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship between the health literacy of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and the accessibility of internet surfing for information concerning DM.Methods: A multistage stratified sampling method was utilized to conduct a questionnaire survey on DM health literacy and internet accessibility among 1,563 patients with DM in Gansu Province in 2020. Logistic regression was performed to analyze the factors that influence health literacy and internet accessibility; while the chi-square test was used to compare the differences in needs.Results: Among 1,563 valid questionnaires collected with an effective rate of 95.7%, there were 65.4, 66.3, or 51.1% of patients with DM were found to have good health knowledge, attitudes, or practice levels, respectively. Occupation, income, disease course of DM, and accessibility to the internet were the main factors influencing health literacy. Age, residency, occupation, education, income, and family history of DM were the factors influencing accessibility to internet surfing for DM. The expectations from patients with DM for the capacity to obtain DM information from traditional sources or through internet sources was 1,465 (93.7%) or 1,145 (73.3%), respectively. Patients with DM had a 2-fold higher desire to obtain DM health information from internet media if the patients had access to the internet than those without (P < 0.05).Conclusions: The socioeconomic status and access to the internet were the main contributing factors for health literacy, as socioeconomic status is closely related to access to the internet.

Gynecomastia Surgery Patient Education

“…As the Internet continues to become more accessible globally, this disparity gap will close. [28][29][30]…”

“…This difference may also highlight a health literacy gap between Western and non-Western countries. As the Internet continues to become more accessible globally, this disparity gap will close 28–30 …”

Multidimensional health literacy profiles and health-related behaviors in the elderly: A cross-sectional survey

“…In terms of age, researchers have reported that health literacy changes dynamically with age; the cognition of health-related information of the elderly declines year by year [ 30 ]. As for education level, it is mentioned that a person with higher education level is more capable of finding, understanding, and judging health-related information and interacting with health providers [ 31 , 32 ]. Moreover, considerable differences in economy, education, and geography between urban and rural areas may be the barrier for the elderly to utilize health-related resources [ 33 ].…”

Topics Included in Health Literacy Studies in Asia: A Systematic Review

“…Three studies on diabetes HL in China indicated that low socioeconomic status, low education, and no history of hyperglycemia were the main contributing factors for low diabetes HL among the elderly with prediabetes, living in rural areas, and diabetes patients. [114][115][116] Lower diabetes and high blood pressure HL were associated with poorer health outcomes or health-related quality of life. 115,117,114 China was the only country noted to survey infectious disease-specific HL among residents 15 years old and above.…”