Effects of eHealth Literacy on General Practitioner Consultations: A Mediation Analysis

Area of Science:

• Health communication
• Digital health
• Health services research

Background:

• Higher health literacy is generally associated with lower healthcare utilization, but the reasons remain unclear.
• The internet's role in health information seeking is a potential factor influencing this relationship.
• eHealth literacy may mediate the link between health literacy and healthcare system engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mediating roles of health information seeking and empowerment in the relationship between eHealth literacy and healthcare utilization.
• To understand how individuals use online health information to manage their health.
• To examine the impact of digital health literacy on general practitioner (GP) consultations.

Main Methods:

• A web-based survey was conducted with 996 baby boomers across New Zealand, the UK, and the US.
• Participants had used the internet for health information in the past six months.
• Path analysis was used to examine the relationships between eHealth literacy, information seeking, empowerment, and GP consultations.

Main Results:

• Indirect positive effects were found between health literacy and healthcare utilization through health information seeking and empowerment.
• The direct effect of health literacy on healthcare utilization became non-significant when mediators were included.
• Both health information seeking and empowerment significantly mediated the relationship.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that health literacy influences healthcare utilization indirectly through an individual's ability to seek and utilize health information.
• Empowerment gained through information seeking plays a crucial role in this dynamic process.
• These indirect pathways highlight the importance of digital health literacy in navigating the healthcare system effectively.