ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2021
Socioeconomic Disparities in eHealth Literacy and Preventive Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong: Cross-sectional Study.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
65 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 120 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Association Between eHealth Literacy and Health Behaviors During and Since the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- The level of electronic health literacy among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Pooled it
- Determinants and outcomes of eHealth literacy in healthy adults: A systematic review.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- The effectiveness of digital interventions for increasing physical activity in individuals of low socioeconomic status: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2021Pooled it
- Employment type and non-compliance with SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing: insights from a nationwide seroprevalence study in South Korea.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Association Between eHealth Literacy and Online Health Information Seeking Behavior Among Cancer Patients: A Chain Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Information Utility.Health care science · 2026Article
- Review
- The association between health literacy and out-of-pocket health expenditure: exploring heterogeneity by chronic disease in Zhejiang, China.International journal for equity in health · 2026Article
- Association of Electronic Health Literacy With Self-Care and Health Outcomes Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Patterns and Characteristics of Mobile App Use to Promote Wellness and Manage Illness: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Health Self-Management Behaviors as a Bridge Between Electronic Health Literacy and Health-Related Quality of Life: Cross-Sectional Study From China.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Digital health literacy among the Spanish population: a descriptive and latent class analysis study.European journal of public health · 2025Article
- Low Prevalence of Adequate eHealth Literacy and Willingness to Use Telemedicine Among Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study From a Middle-Income Country.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Observational
- Pregnant women's eHealth literacy and attitudes toward internet health information and their relationship to shared decision making: a cross-sectional study.Women's health nursing (Seoul, Korea) · 2025Article
- Investigating e-health literacy and its relationship with self-care behaviors among Iranian Middle-aged type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Living with technological challenges: does socioeconomic status affect people's health?BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Digital health literacy and sociodemographic factors among students in western Iran: a cross-sectional study.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- The impact of digital literacy in enhancing individuals' health in China.BMC public health · 2025Article
- eHealth literacy in the general population: a cross-sectional study in China.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The Impact of Health Literacy on Consumer Knowledge of Mask and Hand Sanitizer Use in Post-Pandemic Korea.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundeHealth literacy can potentially facilitate web-based information seeking and taking informed measures.
objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate socioeconomic disparities in eHealth literacy and seeking of web-based information on COVID-19, and their associations with COVID-19 preventive behaviors.
methodsThe COVID-19 Health Information Survey (CoVHIns), using telephonic (n=500) and web-based surveys (n=1001), was conducted among adults in Hong Kong in April 2020. The Chinese eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS; score range 8-40) was used to measure eHealth literacy. COVID-19 preventive behaviors included wearing surgical masks, wearing fabric masks, washing hands, social distancing, and adding water or bleach to the household drainage system. Adjusted beta coefficients and the slope indices of inequality for the eHEALS score by socioeconomic status, adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for seeking of web-based information on COVID-19 by socioeconomic status, and aORs for the high adherence to preventive behaviors by the eHEALS score and seeking of web-based information on COVID-19 were calculated.
resultsThe mean eHEALS score was 26.10 (SD 7.70). Age was inversely associated with the eHEALS score, but education and personal income were positively associated with the eHEALS score and seeking of web-based information on COVID-19 (for all, P for trend<.05). Participants who sought web-based information on COVID-19 showed high adherence to the practice of wearing surgical masks (aOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.15-2.13), washing hands (aOR 1.33, 95% CI 1.05-1.71), social distancing (aOR 1.48, 95% CI 1.14-1.93), and adding water or bleach to the household drainage system (aOR 1.67, 95% CI 1.28-2.18). Those with the highest eHEALS score displayed high adherence to the practice of wearing surgical masks (aOR 3.84, 95% CI 1.63-9.05), washing hands (aOR 4.14, 95% CI 2.46-6.96), social distancing (aOR 2.25, 95% CI 1.39-3.65), and adding water or bleach to the household drainage system (aOR 1.94, 95% CI 1.19-3.16), compared to those with the lowest eHEALS score.
conclusionsChinese adults with a higher socioeconomic status had higher eHealth literacy and sought more web-based information on COVID-19; both these factors were associated with a high adherence to the guidelines for preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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