Scaffolding Online Safety in Older Communities: Exploring the Relationship Between Digital Literacy and Cybersecurity

BackgroundChina has entered a stage of moderate aging, characterized by a “90-7-3” eldercare pattern: 90% of the older adults opt for home-based care, 7% utilize community-based care, and 3% reside in institutional care facilities. With the rapid development of the digital economy, innovative solutions such as smart eldercare devices and telemedicine have emerged, offering new possibilities to enhance the efficiency and quality of eldercare services. However, while benefiting from digital technologies, the older adults generally face challenges posed by the “digital divide,” making digital literacy a critical factor constraining the digital transformation of eldercare services.MethodsThis study utilizes data from the 2020 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS 2020) to examine the impact of digital literacy on older adults’ utilization of community-based home care services (CHCS). Factor analysis was employed to measure digital literacy levels, while probit regression and Heckman’s two-stage model were applied for empirical analysis.ConclusionOur empirical analysis yields three key findings: (1) A significant negative relationship is found between digital literacy and the utilization of CHCS. This indicates that, on average, higher digital literacy is associated with a lower propensity to use CHCS. (2) Dimension-specific analysis reveals divergent impacts: Digital application literacy was positively associated with service utilization. However, device operation literacy, information acquisition literacy, and digital social literacy all exhibited significant negative correlations with service use. (3) Mechanism analysis indicates that digital literacy reduces older adults’ reliance on CHCS through multiple pathways, including increased alternative consumption expenditures, strengthened social and family support, and improved self-efficacy.DiscussionThe findings suggest that improved digital literacy may reduce older adults’ utilization of CHCS, providing important implications for optimizing the elderly care system in the digital era. While promoting digital literacy among older populations, policymakers should establish integrated online-offline service delivery models to achieve precise matching between seniors’ needs and care provision.

Digital back-feeding is a bottom-up process by which younger generations teach or assist older generations in digital access, usage, and literacy. This study aims to examine how two means of digital back-feeding—proxy back-feeding and learning back-feeding—might be differently impacted by older adults’ perceptions of smartphone use, as well as their impact on older adults’ digital literacy. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey ( n = 433) was conducted in mainland China. Our findings revealed that perceived usefulness and perceived risk of smartphone use were positively associated with older adults’ engagement with both proxy back-feeding and learning back-feeding. Perceived ease of use was found to be negatively associated with older adults’ engagement in proxy back-feeding. In addition, older adults’ digital literacy was found to be negatively associated with proxy back-feeding, but positively associated with learning back-feeding. Results suggest that digital back-feeding is a complicated process that may influence older adults’ digital literacy through different routes, which deserves further investigation to bridge digital divide intergenerationally.

The digital divide is apparent not only between older and younger generations but also within the older adult population itself. Identifying digital literacy profiles among older adults is crucial for developing targeted strategies to narrow this divide. This study aimed to identify profiles of digital literacy among community-dwelling older adults and to examine factors associated with these profiles. Data were collected from community-dwelling older adults in South Korea through a nationwide cross-sectional survey that assessed digital literacy and related factors. Digital literacy was evaluated across 3 domains: information and communication (9 items), content creation and management (4 items), and safety and security (9 items). Latent profile analysis was used to identify profiles of digital literacy among community-dwelling older adults, and multinomial logistic regression was used to identify predictors of profile membership. A total of 1016 older adults completed structured questionnaires (average age 68, SD 6.5 years; 486/1016, 47.8% men). Three digital literacy profiles were identified (P<.001): "low level" (346/1016, 34.1%), "middle level" (374/1016, 36.8%), and "high level" (296/1016, 29.1%). With the "middle-level" digital literacy group as the reference group, older adult participants (odds ratio [OR] 1.11, 95% CI 1.07-1.15) with less than a middle school education (vs with a college degree or higher; OR 7.22, 95% CI 2.31-22.54), who needed help with one of the 10 instrumental daily activities (vs ≥2 activities; OR 3.06, 95% CI 1.11-8.40) and who did not engage in in-person social activities (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.07-3.07), were more likely to be in the "low-level" group. Women were less likely to be in the "high-level" digital literacy group than men (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.25-0.80). Participants with less than a college education were also less likely to be in the "high-level" group, with those having less than a middle school education showing the lowest OR (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.07-0.41). Those who had never worked (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.06-0.90) and those not engaging in regular physical exercise (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.40-0.84) were also less likely to be in the "high-level" digital literacy group. Participants with greater social support were more likely to be in the "high-level" digital literacy group (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.22-2.37). These findings underscore the characteristics linked to lower digital literacy and suggest a tailored approach to meet the needs of diverse groups of older adults in a digitalizing society. To promote digital literacy among older adults, potential strategies include improving access to and guidance for using digital devices, specifically designed for this demographic, as well as promoting social support and encouraging participation in social activities.

Digital inclusion and literacy facilitate access to health information and can contribute to self-care behaviors and informed decision-making. However, digital literacy is not an innate skill, but rather requires knowledge acquisition. The present study aimed to develop, conduct, and measure the impact, on digital and health literacy, of a digital inclusion program aimed at community dwellers. The program targeted the recruitment of people aged 55 and older that owned mobile devices with an internet connection in 3 cities in northern Portugal (Paredes de Coura, Guimarães, and Barcelos). The program was titled the Workshops for Online Technological Inclusion (OITO) project and, in each city, was promoted by the coordinator of municipal projects and organized as an in-person 8-workshop program, using mobile devices, smartphones, or tablets. A quasi-experimental design was used with a nonrandomized allocation of participants in each set of 8 workshops. Sociodemographic, health status, and mobile use information were collected at baseline. Digital and health literacy were measured via the Mobile Device Proficiency Questionnaire and the Health Literacy Scale questionnaires, respectively, at baseline (T1), program completion (T2), and a 1-month follow-up (T3). A self-reported measure of autonomy was evaluated at T1 and T2 using a visual scale. Most participants were women with primary schooling (up to 4 years) aged between 65 and 74 years and retired. The intervention had an 81% (97/120) recruitment rate, 53% (43/81) adherence, and 94% (67/71) satisfaction rate, with 81 participants completing the entire 8-workshop program. Most participants had owned their mobile device for more than one year (64/81, 79%), were frequent daily users (70/81, 86%), and had received their mobile device from someone else (33/64, 52%). Over 80% (71/81) of the participants who completed the intervention used Android smartphones. At baseline, participants had low baseline scores in digital literacy, but medium-high baseline scores in health literacy. They showed significant improvement in digital literacy at T2 and T3 compared to T1, but without a significant difference between T2 and T3, regardless of sex, age, or schooling. A significant improvement in self-reported autonomy was observed at T3 compared with baseline. Regarding health literacy, no significant differences were found at T2 or T3 compared to the baseline. The feasibility indicators showed that the OITO project methodology had a substantial rate of recruitment and satisfaction. Program participants had significant improvement in digital literacy after 8 workshops and maintained their score 1 month after completing the intervention. There was no significant change in health literacy during the project period.

BackgroundOlder adults, who are often living with frailty, multimorbidity and cognitive impairment, frequently present to perioperative services. Digital perioperative tools can be used to improve patient experience and outcomes. Little is known about digital literacy, inclusion and attitudes to digital tools, and barriers and facilitators to usage, in the perioperative setting for older surgical patients.MethodsMedline, Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane Library were searched from inception to February 2025. PRISMA guidelines were utilised and the study was registered on PROSPERO. Heterogeneity of study methods and reported outcomes precluded meta-analysis. Gough’s Weight of Evidence Framework was used to assess quality of evidence.ResultsTwenty-four studies were included for narrative synthesis. No studies used a validated measure of digital literacy. Digital access was variably reported. Older adults were less likely than younger people to use the internet, wearable technology and telemedicine. Many studies excluded individuals without access to their own devices, limiting generalisability. Older adults expressed positivity about digital tools but did not universally prefer digital platforms. Barriers to engagement included digital exclusion, poor device usability and patient factors. Support through training or caregivers facilitated engagement.ConclusionDigital perioperative tools are increasingly available but there is a paucity of data on digital literacy, access and usage in the older surgical population. Studies frequently excluded those living with frailty, multimorbidity and cognitive or sensory impairments. Further research is needed to understand the needs, attitudes and digital health literacy of this population, to facilitate codesign of accessible, acceptable and effective perioperative digital health tools.

BackgroundDepression and anxiety are the emotional problems most frequently experienced by older adults. These mental health challenges can influence an individual's ability at finding, evaluating, and applying electronic health information to health problems. Thus, we aimed to examine associations of digital health literacy (DHL) with education, depression, and anxiety among older adults in Slovakia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 101 adults aged 55 years and over (40.6% from 60 to 64 years, 85.1% of women, 54.5% with secondary education). DHL, depressive symptoms, and anxiety level were measured using the self-reported eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), respectively. Multiple linear regressions were performed to explore the role of education and mental health characteristics in DHL controlling for age and sex.ResultsThe vast majority of sample (92.1%) used the internet within the last 3 months and 67.3% used it to search for health-related information. The mean eHealth literacy score achieved 29.82 ± 6.78. Higher DHL was significantly associated with higher education (β = 0.31, p < 0.01) and it remained significant (β = 0.34, p < 0.001) after adding the mental health characteristics. Higher DHL was significantly associated with lower depressive symptomatology (β=-0.37, p < 0.01) and higher anxiety level (β = 0.33, p < 0.05). The final model explained 13.2% of the variance in DHL.ConclusionsPreliminary findings suggest that those seeking to decrease the DHL disparities among older adults may benefit from tailoring interventions towards those with lower education. Furthermore, the study underscores the need for integrated interventions, such as mental health support combined with digital literacy education, to enhance health outcomes among aging population. Further research is needed to uncover the relationship between higher anxiety level and higher DHL. [VEGA 1/0097/24].Key messages• Emotional problems seem to be significant contributors to digital health literacy of older adults.• Mental health support should be incorporated into the digital literacy intervention programs for older adults.

Dementia knowledge is essential for early detection, care planning, and reducing stigma. Disparities persist among immigrant and minority populations, especially among older Asian Americans. Grounded in the digital health literacy model, this study examined how immigration and social factors, digital literacy, and dementia-related variables would be associated with dementia knowledge. Data were drawn from a survey with 507 Asian Americans aged 50 and older (M = 64.42, SD = 9.68) in central Florida. Hierarchical regression analyses estimated the impact of sequential blocks of independent variables on dementia knowledge: (1) background characteristics (age, gender, education, financial status, chronic conditions), (2) immigration-related factors (limited English proficiency [LEP], length of U.S. residence), (3) social factors (marital status, social network, activity participation), (4) digital literacy, health-information seeking behavior, and confidence in health information, and (5) dementia-related factors (having a family/friend with dementia, concerns about dementia, concerns about caregiving, dementia planning). Digital literacy emerged as a major independent predictor of dementia knowledge (β = .22, p &amp;lt; .001). Being married, having a family member/friend with dementia, and perceived importance of dementia planning as well as female gender and shorter US residence were also significant knowledge promoters. LEP was negatively associated with dementia knowledge, but its effect diminished when digital literacy was included. Findings suggest the critical role of digital literacy in reducing dementia knowledge disparities. Interventions enhancing digital and eHealth literacy, particularly among older adults with LEP, can improve access to dementia-related information. Future efforts should develop culturally tailored digital resources to bridge knowledge gaps.

HighlightsWhat are the main findings?Among 94 surgical inpatients, 25–27% showed inadequate digital or navigational health literacy.Digital health literacy declined significantly across age groups (p = 0.038), while navigational literacy varied widely without age-related differences (p = 0.239).Emergency surgery was independently associated with lower navigational literacy (β = −31.07; p = 0.018).Digital and navigational literacy were strongly correlated (ρ = 0.86), indicating overlapping competencies.What are the implications of the main findings?As healthcare increasingly shifts toward digital models, deficits in digital and navigational literacy may exacerbate inequities and hinder safe post-discharge transitions.Developing age-adapted and context-sensitive strategies—particularly for patients undergoing emergency surgery—is essential to promote equity and prevent digital exclusion.Background/Objectives: The digitalization of healthcare in general, and particularly of surgical care, increasingly requires patients to navigate online information and digital follow-up systems. Limited digital or navigational health literacy may hinder safe recovery and exacerbate health inequities. This study aimed to assess levels of digital and navigational health literacy and their associations in a sample of surgical patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with ninety-four adults undergoing elective or emergency surgery, using the validated HLS19-DIGI (digital health literacy) and HLS19-NAV (navigational health literacy) instruments. Data collection took place between March 2025, and 28 August 2025, at a hospital in the Lisbon district. Descriptive analyses, bivariate analysis, and multiple regression were used to identify sociodemographic and clinical predictors. Results: Digital literacy varied significantly across age groups (p = 0.038), with median scores declining from 87.5 (31–45 years) to 31.2 (>65 years). Navigational literacy was lower in emergency versus elective surgery patients (41.7 vs. 83.3; p = 0.036). In adjusted models, self-employment predicted lower digital literacy (β = −36.06, p = 0.009), while emergency surgery remained the only predictor of navigational literacy (β = −31.07, p = 0.018). Digital and navigational literacy were strongly correlated (ρ = 0.859). Conclusions: The surgical patients in this study demonstrated marked literacy deficits, particularly older adults and those undergoing emergency procedures. Digital and navigational literacy appear to reflect overlapping competencies. As healthcare shifts toward digital models, it is essential to develop age-adapted strategies to promote equity and prevent exclusion.

As information and services are becoming more and more decentralized and they are often available in the cloud, an increasing number of older adults are expected to use Internet-based services –health, education, finance and others. For this reason, it seems important to plan models and/or strategies to allow the older adult population to acquire and enhance digital competencies more easily. The goal of this research is to show a blended workshop based on a Learning Management System (LMS) as a supporting tool for older adults' digital literacy. This blended workshop was based on the adoption of an instructional model and on prior experiences of the groups of elderly that participated in the face-to-face workshops. This study involved 98 adults aged 60 and above, 72 Females (68.5 ± 6.9) and 26 Males (73.3 ± 7.4). 61 older adults participated in the face-to-face workshop (FFG) on digital literacy and 37 participated in the blended workshop (BLG). Digital literacy increased at the post-evaluation after the workshops but even more for the BLG. Likewise, in the validation of the blended workshop the results were positive regarding ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude toward using and intention to use, which showed that older adults believe that it is useful to implement this type of supporting systems for developing their digital competencies. Hence, it is possible to conclude that older adults are capable of learning and acquiring digital literacy skills as long as they are strongly motivated or they know the functional benefits related to ICT.

Purpose: Understanding the interaction between digital technology competence and digital literacy is important for improving educational outcomes in the digital age. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teachers' digital technology competencies and digital literacy levels. In addition, the study aims to investigate whether these variables differ significantly based on gender and the education level at which teachers work, and whether digital competence significantly predicts digital literacy. Design/Methodology/Approach: Correlation research model was used in the study and 354 teachers selected from different regions of Turkey by purposive sampling method constituted the sample group. The research data were collected using the ‘Teacher Digital Competence Scale’ to determine the digital competence levels of teachers and the ‘Digital Literacy Scale’ to determine their digital literacy levels. Descriptive statistics and parametric tests were used to analyze the data. Findings: The findings of the study revealed that teachers' digital competence and digital literacy levels were high. While there was a significant difference in terms of digital literacy according to gender variable, no significant difference was observed in terms of digital competence. ANOVA results revealed that there were no significant differences in terms of digital cognitive and technical literacy sub-dimensions and overall digital literacy level according to the education level of the teachers; however, high school teachers had higher digital competence scores compared to primary school teachers. Correlation analysis showed that there is a strong and positive relationship between digital literacy and digital competence. Simple linear regression analysis showed that digital literacy significantly predicted digital competence and explained 45% of its variance. Highlights: As a result of this study, it is recommended that targeted professional development programs focusing on enhancing digital competence and literacy be implemented for teachers, particularly at the primary school level. These programmes should be implemented especially in regions and education levels where digital technology and digital literacy skills are lower. In order to reduce the digital literacy gap between genders, gender-sensitive digital skills development workshops should be organised for teachers and this gap should be prevented from leading to inequalities in digital education. In the light of the finding that digital literacy significantly predicts digital competence, it is important to make digital literacy training compulsory for all teachers.

This study examines the associations of internet information literacy with two variables: (1) the ability to work with technical aspects of the internet (internet skill), and (2) attitudes about the need for qualitative necessities in the development of e-services. A hierarchical regressions software analyzes data from a national sample of 2134 internet users. In this paper, internet literacy is considered as a literacy which has two-dimensional aspects including information literacy and skill literacy. In an articulation as this, many of the capabilities associated with the internet such as technical, critical, analytical, and structural factors are studied. In addition, abilities that lead users to make distinctions between useful, safe and healthy data and fake, hateful and unhealthy data are taken into account. The analysis shows that the internet information literacy is positively related to internet skills. It is also shown that more internet information literacy leads to more demands for e-services’ qualitative necessities (in the eight indicators of cheapness, availability, usability, quickness, security, integrity, reliability, and transparency). Furthermore, some sociodemographic characteristics (i.e. age, gender, education, income, and place of residence) are explicitly associated with internet skills. Strategy suggestions are concluded for policy making in the respective fields.

Since the initial scientific statement on Secondary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) in the Elderly was published in 2002,1 several trends have continued that make an update highly appropriate. First, the graying of the US population and those of other industrialized countries has progressed unabated because more adults are surviving into their senior years. The number of Americans aged ≥75 years was estimated at 18.6 million in 2010, representing ≈6% of the population,2 and it is expected to double by 2050. The population aged ≥85 years is growing the most rapidly, with numbers expected to reach 19.5 million by 2040. In 2008, 67% of the 811 940 cardiovascular deaths in the United States occurred in people aged ≥75 years.3 In parallel to this increase in the older adult demographic, the number of Americans with CHD has increased to an estimated 16.3 million, more than half of whom are >65 years of age.3 Similarly, 7 million have had a stroke, the incidence of which approximately doubles with successive age decades after 45 to 54 years.3 Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects 8 to 10 million Americans, the majority of whom are >65 years of age. Between 2015 and 2030, annual US costs related to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) are projected to increase from $84.8 billion to $202 billion.3 Moreover, given that ASCVD often undermines functional capacity and independence and increases reliance on long-term care, indirect expenses related to ASCVD are also expected to increase. Thus, the need for effective secondary prevention measures in the older adult population with known ASCVD has never been greater. Notably, the 2011 American Heart Association (AHA)/American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) updated guidelines for secondary prevention of CHD broadened …

With the prevalence of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and Internet, electronic reading media have become an important reading resource and students’ electronic reading literacy have received more and more emphasis. In this study, a mediation model was proposed to investigate the effects of information-seeking and social online reading engagement on printed and electronic reading literacies, via students’ perceived usefulness of metacognitive strategies, self-report learning strategies use and navigation skills. Moreover, the partial correlations among mediators were also discussed. In order to verify the mediation model, The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 data was used and the samples were 34104 fifteen years old students from 19 countries and areas (17087 females and 17017 males from Korea, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong-China, New Zealand, Macao-China, Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Chile, and Colombia). The results showed that, through perceived usefulness of metacognitive strategies and navigation skills, the information-seeking reading engagement had positive effects on students’ printed and electronic literacies, whereas the social reading engagement had negative or weak effects on outcomes. As for students’ self-report learning strategies use, it played a role as a suppressor. It could enhance the overall multiple r^2 of outcomes and increased the effect of students’ metacognitive strategies on printed and electronic reading literacies with its inclusion in the model. In sum, this study concluded that students’ information-seeking engagement, metacognitive strategies, learning strategies and navigation skills use were helpful for students’ printed and electronic reading literacies. Students’ should be encouraged to engaged in information-seeking reading activities, and teachers should teach and guide students to use cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies in educational settings.

ObjectivesLack of familiarity and limited digital literacy frequently limit the ability and willingness of older adults to use digital health tools. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the intention to use digital health information and services (DHIAS) and their actual use among indigenous Taiwanese older adults, based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and digital health literacy.DesignCross-sectional quantitative study using a structured questionnaire.SettingCommunity-based settings at the primary care level; 11 cultural health stations located in Eastern Taiwan.ParticipantsA total of 170 Indigenous elders aged ≥55 years were recruited. Inclusion criteria included: Indigenous descent, aged ≥55 years, cognitively intact and able to communicate in Mandarin. All participants completed the interview-based survey.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcomes were the intention to use DHIAS and its actual use. Predictors included digital health literacy and TPB constructs. All variables were measured using validated or adapted items within the questionnaire.ResultsThe mean score for intention to use DHIAS was 1.50 (SD=0.90) and the mean score for actual behaviour was 1.68 (SD=1.14). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that subjective norms (β=0.270, p<0.001)—a core construct of TPB—and digital health literacy (β=0.603, p<0.001) significantly predicted intention, accounting for 55.7% of the variance. Intention (β=0.732, p<0.001) and digital health literacy (β=0.146, p<0.025) were significant predictors of actual behaviour, accounting for 72.4% of the variance.ConclusionsDigital health literacy and TPB constructs critically influence digital health engagement among older populations. Interventions aimed at improving digital health engagement among older populations should focus on enhancing digital skills and creating socially supportive environments. Future studies should explore culturally tailored strategies to reduce digital disparities in communities with limited healthcare access.

This study analyzed the effects of digital literacy on life satisfaction in older adults aged 65 years and above in modern day Korea. It utilized raw data from the 2019–2022 Report on the Digital Divide, an annual survey conducted by the Korean Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology. A total of 4,216 participants were assessed from 2019–2022. Correlation between digital literacy and life satisfaction was analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis and polynomial linear regression analysis. Life satisfaction was significantly positively correlated with digital access, digital competency, and digital utilization in all the years. In 2019, participants’ life satisfaction score rose significantly by 0.15 with every one-point increase in digital competency. It further rose by 0.035 in 2020, 0.030 in 2021, and 0.116 in 2022. Digital literacy was consistently positively correlated with life satisfaction in each year from 2019–2022. Of the three main elements, digital competency had the strongest impact and digital information, income, and education level also significantly impacted life satisfaction. While digital competency improved steadily from 2019 to 2022, it remains below 50% for Korea’s older adult population. Further efforts are required to improve digital competency and subsequent life satisfaction among Korea’s older adult population.