The roles of health literacy and social support in the association between smartphone ownership and frailty in older adults: a moderated mediation model

Understanding the role of smartphones to promote the health status of older adults is important in the digital society. Little is known about the effects of having smartphones on physical frailty despite its positive effect on the well-being of older adults. This study aimed to explore the associati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC public health 2024-04, Vol.24 (1), p.1064-1064, Article 1064
Main Authors: Yi, Jinseon, Yoon, Ju Young, Won, Chang Won, Kim, Miji, Lee, Kyoung Suk
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Aging
Analysis
Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular diseases
Cellular telephones
Cohort analysis
Coronary artery disease
Digital divide
Digital divide (Technology)
Digital health
Energy consumption
Exercise
Frail elderly
Frailty
Health aspects
Health education
Health literacy
Health promotion
Heart diseases
Hypotheses
Internet access
Literacy
Older people
Ownership
Phenotypes
Psychological aspects
Questionnaires
Risk factors
Risk taking
Smart phones
Smartphone
Smartphones
Social aspects
Social interactions
Social networks
Social support
Surveillance systems
Well being
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Summary:Understanding the role of smartphones to promote the health status of older adults is important in the digital society. Little is known about the effects of having smartphones on physical frailty despite its positive effect on the well-being of older adults. This study aimed to explore the association between smartphone ownership and frailty in community-dwelling older adults and its underlying mechanism. We used data from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study and analyzed 2,469 older adults aged 72-86 years. Frailty, health literacy, and social support were assessed by Fried's frailty phenotype, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System health literacy module, and the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease (ENRICHD) Social Support Instrument, respectively. The mediation model and moderated mediation model were estimated, where the mediator was health literacy and the moderator was social support, to explore the relationship between smartphone ownership and frailty. Of our study participants, 58.9% owned smartphones, and 10.9% were classified as frail. Smartphone ownership was negatively associated with frailty (β = -0.623, p 
ISSN:1471-2458
1471-2458
DOI:10.1186/s12889-024-18163-z