eHealth Literacy Mediating Social Support and Technology Acceptance Among Patients With Chronic Illnesses: A...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Social support is vital for chronic illness management.
• eHealth technology offers potential benefits but requires user engagement.
• Understanding factors influencing technology acceptance is crucial for effective digital health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mediating role of eHealth literacy in the relationship between social support and eHealth technology acceptance.
• To identify predictors of technology acceptance among patients with chronic illnesses.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional correlational study with 202 chronic illness patients in Taiwan.
• Data collected via structured questionnaires.
• Statistical analysis using SPSS and PROCESS macro with 1000 bootstrap samples.

Main Results:

• eHealth literacy was the strongest predictor of eHealth technology acceptance.
• Social support was positively associated with eHealth literacy.
• Social support did not directly predict technology acceptance, demonstrating full mediation by eHealth literacy.

Conclusions:

• eHealth literacy is a critical mediator linking social support to eHealth technology acceptance.
• Interventions should enhance eHealth literacy, integrating social support strategies to improve digital engagement for chronic illness management.
• Healthcare professionals should design literacy-sensitive interventions leveraging social networks to promote eHealth adoption.