Perceived eHealth Literacy and Health Literacy among People with Spinal Cord Injury

Research Objectives To (1) evaluate general health and eHealth literacy levels among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and (2) identify relationships between general health literacy, eHealth literacy, and sociodemographic factors. Design Survey, cross-sectional. Setting This study was conducted in the general community setting. Participants Fifty individuals with SCI were recruited across Canada. The average age of participants was 49 years old, 50% were male and 78% experienced traumatic SCI. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Online survey data were collected on participants’ general health literacy (using the Brief Health Literacy Screening Tool), eHealth literacy (using the eHealth Literacy Scale), and sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age, sex, employment status). Results Participants demonstrated moderate levels of eHealth literacy (31.6 out of 40) and general health literacy (17.6 out of 20). A significant, positive correlation (95% C.I.) was found between eHealth literacy and general health literacy (r=0.28; p=0.03). A significant association (95% C.I.) was found between participants’ employment status (i.e., employed or unemployed) and eHealth literacy (t-stat = 0.12; p=0.01). Significant, positive correlations (95% C.I.) were found between general health literacy and sociodemographic factors, including income (r =0.32; p=0.04) and education (r=0.31; p=0.03). A significant, negative correlation (95%) was found between health literacy and time since injury (r=-0.31; p=0.03). A significant association (95% C.I.) was found between participants’ living arrangement (i.e., alone or not alone) and health literacy (t-stat = -2.23; p=0.01). Conclusions This study demonstrated the diverse range of eHealth literacy levels in SCI populations and how this, and other factors, may impact an individual's ability to self-manage and adopt to eHealth technologies. This study also demonstrates the need to be mindful of individuals with SCI who may have lower levels of eHealth literacy and health literacy, and how this can impact their engagement with eHealth technologies. Author(s) Disclosures We report no real or perceived conflicts of interest.