Digital health literacy framework for PE teachers: a grounded theory study

Background As digital technologies transform health information environments, digital health literacy has become a core professional competence for school-based health education. Physical education (PE) teachers serve as the primary facilitators of school health promotion; however, unlike general educators, they are uniquely responsible for bridging physical activity with complex digital health data, making their specific competency requirements critical yet undertheorised. Methodology This qualitative study used a grounded theory approach to conduct semistructured interviews with 34 participants (primary/secondary school PE teachers and higher education experts) from 12 provinces in China. Interview data were analyzed with NVivo 15.0 through open, axial and selective coding, which was supplemented by relevant literature and policy documents. Results The analysis generated a Digital Health Literacy Framework for PE Teachers. It comprises three core dimensions: Digital Health Awareness and Critical Literacy, Digital Teaching Practice and Innovative Application Competence and Digital Security Ethics and Environmental Awareness Competence. Distinct from general digital literacy models, this framework specifically integrates pedagogical content knowledge with health-related information appraisal, capturing the intersection of technology, health promotion, and physical education pedagogy. Conclusion The proposed framework conceptualizes PE teachers' digital health literacy as a systematic competency system. It provides an evidence-based foundation for developing national standards, training modules, and digitalization policies.