Digital Health Literacy Among Elderly Dayak in Southern Sarawak: A Cross-sectional Study

Johnny Ling, Shean Kang and Cheah, Whye Lian (2025) Digital Health Literacy Among Elderly Dayak in Southern Sarawak: A Cross-sectional Study. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 21 (2). pp. 29-38. ISSN 2636-9346

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Abstract

Introduction: Digital health literacy (DHL) is often perceived as low among the elderly, yet the specific status among Sarawak's elderly Dayak remains uncertain. Investigating DHL levels in the digital era has the potential to yield significant benefits for improving their health. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2023 via an interviewer-assisted survey. The study employed a multistage sampling approach to recruit elderly Dayak individuals from Kuching, Samarahan, and Serian. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. Results: A total of 275 elderly Dayak individuals were selected, with an average age of 68.0 (SD 6.61) years, ranging from 60 to 92 years. The mean digital health literacy score was 23.36 (SD 9.79). Factors significantly associated with high DHL levels were self-reported disability (AOR 24.54, 95% CI 4.06, 148.33), staying nearer to health facilities (AOR 2.83, 95% CI 1.21, 6.62), increased daily Internet usage time (AOR 1.62, 95% CI 1.19, 2.23), and perceived ease of using the Internet (AOR 3.92, 95% CI 1.16, 13.20). On the other hand, a moderate to higher frequency of receiving passive guidance from family members (AOR 0.09, 95% CI 0.01, 0.80) and self-reported difficulties preventing device usage (AOR 0.63, 95% CI 0.49, 0.80) were associated with low DHL. Conclusion: This study highlights the prevalence of digital device usage and internet engagement among the participants, with a substantial proportion demonstrating low DHL.

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