Relationship Between Electronic Health Literacy and Quality of Life in Women with PCOS: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To investigate the association between electronic health literacy (eHealth literacy) and health-related quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods:A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among women with PCOS.Participants completed validated Turkish versions of the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) and the PCOS Quality of Life Questionnaire-50 (PCOSQ-50).Spearman's correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were employed to assess associations between eHealth literacy and HRQoL, adjusting for covariates including age, BMI, education level, and marital status.Results: A total of 399 women participated in the study.The mean age was 28.56.5 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.19.1 kg/m.A moderate positive correlation was observed between eHEALS scores and overall PCOSQ-50 scores (=0.315,p<0.001).The strongest correlations were found with the emotional subdomain (=0.326,p<0.001), followed by coping (=0.239,p<0.001) and hirsutism (=0.240,p<0.001).Regression analysis identified eHEALS as a significant positive predictor of quality of life (=0.282,p<0.001).Higher BMI was negatively associated (=-0.353,p<0.001). Conclusion:Enhanced eHealth literacy is associated with improved quality of life in women with PCOS, particularly in emotional and coping domains.Targeted interventions to improve digital health literacy may optimize symptom management and psychosocial outcomes in this population.