eHealth Literacy, Educational Attainment, and Preventive Health Behaviors in Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

eHealth literacy may support preventive action but interacts with broader gerontological and structural factors.

Objective

This study examined whether eHealth literacy mediated associations between educational attainment, perceived physical and psychological health, and cancer-screening behaviors among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan.

Methods

A convenience sample of 150 adults aged ≥65 years was recruited from six community health care centers. eHealth literacy was assessed using the Traditional Chinese eHEALS, and mediation was tested using PROCESS Model 4.

Results

Higher education (B = 0.87, p < .001) and younger age (r = −.36, p < .001) were associated with higher eHealth literacy. However, none of the indirect associations between education, physical health, or psychological health and cancer screening through eHealth literacy was statistically significant.

Conclusions: eHealth literacy reflects digital inequality but did not independently explain cancer-screening engagement in this sample, highlighting the importance of structural and clinical factors.