How beliefs towards ehealth communication predict internet and online health behaviors among middle- and older-age working adults in Taiwan

Purpose: This study examined how beliefs towards eHealth communication predict Internet and online health information (OHI) middle- and older-age adult users in Taiwan and how age, gender, and education moderate these relationships. Methods: The eHealth communication survey was administered to employee age 40+ years in two major worksites in Taiwan. A previously validated eHealth communication belief inventory (eHealth-BI) with the eHealth-BI pros (4-items) and eHealth-BI cons (3-items) sub-scales, was used to assess participants' perceived usefulness (pros) and ease-of-use (cons) towards eHealth communication. Results: A total of 533 employees participated (mean age = 46.21 (SD=5.01) years). Bi-variate analyses showed participants with higher eHealth-Pros and lower eHealth-Cons scores were more active in all Internet and OHI behaviors. After adjusting for age, gender, and education, participants with higher eHealth-Pros scores were still more likely to have ever gone online (OR=2.50), sought OHI (OR=2.55), found OHI useful (OR=4.63), discussed OHI with others (OR=1.97), changed health behaviors (OR=2.75) or made treatment decisions based on OHI (OR=2.67), and view Internet as an important part of their life (OR=3.15) (all p<.001). Participants with lower eHealth-Cons score, had college education, or in their 40s were also more likely to be active Internet and OHI users. Conclusion: Results showed that perceived usefulness and ease-of-use towards eHealth communication were significant predictors, and age and education were important moderating factors. Study has implications on using the eHealth-BI tool and key demographic factors to identify active Internet and OHI users for targeted eHealth communication programs among middle- and older-age adults.