- Background Digitalization has led to a proliferation of digital health technologies and online health information. We aimed to assess the attitudes towards digital technology use in health context using a nationwide survey. Methods A cross-sectional nationwide survey of a panel sample of adult internet users living in Germany was conducted in November 2022. Participants completed computer-assisted telephone interviews using a self-developed, 30-item questionnaire. Survey data were analysed using frequencies and univariate multiple regression analysis. Findings Among 1,020 participants (18-92 years, 56±16 years, 47% female), 62% completed up to tertiary education and 42% reported the household income of up to 3500 Euro/month. The minority of participants reported that they trust health websites when recommended by friends and family (39%), that their social network relies on the internet for health information (35%), that they consider the internet as the immediate source of health information (39%) and that they are interested inBackground Digitalization has led to a proliferation of digital health technologies and online health information. We aimed to assess the attitudes towards digital technology use in health context using a nationwide survey. Methods A cross-sectional nationwide survey of a panel sample of adult internet users living in Germany was conducted in November 2022. Participants completed computer-assisted telephone interviews using a self-developed, 30-item questionnaire. Survey data were analysed using frequencies and univariate multiple regression analysis. Findings Among 1,020 participants (18-92 years, 56±16 years, 47% female), 62% completed up to tertiary education and 42% reported the household income of up to 3500 Euro/month. The minority of participants reported that they trust health websites when recommended by friends and family (39%), that their social network relies on the internet for health information (35%), that they consider the internet as the immediate source of health information (39%) and that they are interested in digital health technologies (40%). Most participants (71%) reported that they prefer to receive health information in person or on paper. The preference for such sources of health information was associated with lower eHealth literacy (β= -.12, p<.001), worse health status (β= -.08, p=.026) and female gender (β= -.08, p=.033). Discussion The trust in the internet as the source of health information and the interest in digital health technologies were low among internet users in Germany. Interventions should strengthen eHealth literacy to empower adults to find, understand and assess reliable health information on the Internet.…
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