The Future of Education

The effectiveness of sports apps in promoting physical activity (PA) and improving quality of life in older adults is recognised (Qiu et al., 2025). However, it is also observed that these individuals often face barriers to technology use (Lin, 2023), which may be caused by low e-health literacy. However, studies explaining the association of e-health literacy with the acceptance of sports apps are still lacking. This study aimed to assess the level of e-health literacy among older Lithuanians and to determine its association with attitudes towards app use, self-efficacy and PA behavioural intentions. Methods: Cross-sectional research was conducted. 402 individuals participated in the study (89% women and 11%  men), with a mean age of 64.65 ± 5.12. The eHeals scale was used to measure e-health literacy (Norman & Skinner, 2006). The attitude towards fitness apps scale was adapted from García-Fernández et al. (2020), and the self-efficacy and behavioural intentions scales were adapted from Dhiman et al. (2020). The results of the study showed that older people have a relatively average level of e-health literacy (26.47±7.93). When analysing the different age groups, a statistically significant decrease in e-health literacy is observed with each age group (p<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that e-health literacy significantly correlates with all measured factors (r> .400; p<0.01). Conclusion. eHealth literacy is a significant factor associated with attitudes towards sports apps use, self-efficacy, and PA behavioural intentions among older adults. The declining level of e-health literacy with age underscores the importance of educational interventions.

Keywords: eHealth literacy, sports apps, older adults, educational intervention

References:

1. Dhiman, N., Arora, N., Dogra, N., & Gupta, A. (2020). Consumer adoption of smartphone fitness apps: an extended UTAUT2 perspective. Journal of Indian Business Research, 12(3), 363-388.
2. García-Fernández, J., Gálvez-Ruiz, P., Grimaldi-Puyana, M., Angosto, S., Fernández-Gavira, J., & Bohórquez, M. R. (2020). The promotion of physical activity from digital services: Influence of e-lifestyles on intention to use fitness apps. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6839.
3. Lin, S. H. (2023). Adoption of mobile and wearable technology for older adults’ physical activity: a preliminary model. Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, 27(2), 139-155.
4. Norman, C. D., & Skinner, H. A. (2006). eHEALS: the eHealth literacy scale. Journal of medical Internet research, 8(4), e507.
5. Qiu, S. S., Ye, J. F., You, F., Liu, M., & Zhao, X. (2025). How does mHealth benefit older Chinese adults’ quality of life? Examining the roles of eHealth literacy, health motivation, and patient activation. Digital Health, 11, 20552076241313160.