Assessment of electronic health literacy and its associated factors among internet -using primary health care attendees in Mansoura district, Egypt: a cross-sectional study.

Authors

Shymaa Mamdouh Mohamed Abdu, Sahar Mohamed Youness, Abdel-Hady El-Gilany

Published in

BMC public health. Volume 26. Issue 1. Aug 19, 2026. Epub Aug 19, 2026.

Abstract

People need electronic health literacy (eHealth literacy) to find and assess reliable health information. Little research has been conducted on eHealth literacy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) including Egypt compared to developed countries. This study aimed to assess e Health literacy level, its associated factors and explored perceived barriers among internet using primary health care (PHC) attendees.
A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out among 532 adult internet using PHC attendees selected by systematic random sampling technique. A structured valid Arabic questionnaire was used including data about socio-demographic and internet use characteristics, Arabic ehealth literacy Scale (Ar-eHEALS), and barriers of e Health literacy. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to detect the significant factors of e Health literacy.
The mean age of study participants was 24.6 ± 8.9. The majority of them were females (75%). More than two-thirds (67.3%) of participants experienced adequate e Health literacy, while 32.7% had limited one. Female sex (AOR = 1.8, 95% CI (1.1-3), perceived internet usefulness (AOR = 5.6, 95% CI (2.9-10.7), perceived internet importance (AOR = 5, 95% CI (1.8-13.3), better self -rated health status (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI (1.6-8.9), and having higher general health knowledge (AOR = 2.9, 95% CI (1.4-5.9) were independently associated factors of adequate e Health literacy. Low basic literacy, limited technology skills, lack of health care providers' interaction, and cultural aspects perceived as the most frequently barriers.
Despite a significant percentage of participants having adequate e Health literacy, there are still considerable barriers perceived among participants. Improving technology skills, empowering person-provider interaction, and providing culturally sensitive electronic health means are vital to enhance e Health literacy and reduce disparities to access a reliable online health content. The non-representative sample limit the generalizability to all PHC attendees.

PMID:
42618911
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Aug 2026.

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