The Relationship Between e-Health Literacy and Health Beliefs Regarding Cardiovascular Disease in Elderly Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes

Objective: Given that elderly people with diabetes are at high risk for cardiovascular complications, it is essential to understand the relationship between eHealth literacy and health beliefs regarding cardiovascular diseases. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between e-health literacy and health beliefs regarding cardiovascular disease in elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes. Methods: This study is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The study was conducted between February 2024 and June 2024 with 326 individuals with type 2 diabetes. The study data collected descriptive characteristics form, e-Health Literacy Scale (e-HLS) and Health Beliefs Related to Cardiovascular Disease Scale (HBCVDS). Results: The mean age of the elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes included in the study was 70.21±6.18 years and 53.10% were female. The mean score on the e-HLS and HBCVDS were moderate. The factors affecting e-HLS were smoking, smartphone use, Accessing health resources from the internet, average daily internet usage time (91 minutes or more), positive effect of the internet on health. Conclusions: In this study, both the e-health literacy and the health beliefs related to heart disease of elderly individuals with diabetes were found to be at a moderate level. As the electronic health literacy of individuals with diabetes increases, their health beliefs about heart disease also improve. Therefore, educational programs aimed at enhancing electronic health literacy and the promoting use of digital tools offer an important opportunity to improve these individuals' health beliefs and behaviors related to cardiovascular diseases.