Navigating wellness in the digital age: the interplay of digital health literacy, anxiety, and self-efficacy

Digital health literacy is now considered a crucial determinant of well-being and an important aspect of public health. Digital health literacy significantly affects people’s perspectives on disease and its prevention, thus enhancing their overall wellness. This study aims to investigate the impact of digital health literacy on subjective well-being under the mediating role of anxiety. The role of self-efficacy between anxiety and subjective well-being is also examined. The cross-sectional data was collected from 668 students of different public and private universities in Pakistan through a convenience sampling technique. The collected data was analyzed through advanced statistical software (SPSS and Smart PLS). The mean value of subjective well-being varies significantly concerning the health concern (f = 3.882 and p < 0.05). There is a direct significant relationship between digital health literacy and subjective well-being (β = 0.194, p < 0.05) and anxiety (β = − 0.190, p < 0.05). Anxiety significantly negatively impacts subjective well-being (β = − 0.152, p < 0.05). The effect of digital health literacy on subjective well-being under the mediating role of anxiety is also significant (β = 0.029, p < 0.05). Self-efficacy significantly impacts subjective well-being (β = 0.349, p = 0.001). However, the self-efficacy moderating effect is not significant (β= − 0.014, p > 0.05). The result of the analysis shows that digital health literacy significantly reduces the level of anxiety in individuals which in turn leads to better subjective well-being. No support has been found for moderating role of self-efficacy between anxiety and subjective well-being. This study offers novel insights and practical implications for policymakers to guide policies and interventions aimed at fostering positive well-being outcomes in light of the rising digitization of healthcare. The examined pattern of relationships is novel, contributing substantially to the existing body of literature.