Health‐Related Social Needs and eHealth Literacy Among Community‐Dwelling Older Adults With Chronic Diseases: Associations With Diabetes Status

Diabetes, a chronic condition prevalent among older adults, imposes a substantial disease burden. Effective care requires sustained self-management, and digital health technologies increasingly support this process. For older adults, engagement in digital health depends not only on individual skills but also on health-related social needs (HRSNs), which reflect unmet social and environmental conditions that hinder effective health maintenance. This study aimed to examine associations between diabetes status and HRSNs and to investigate their associations with eHealth literacy in community-dwelling older adults with chronic diseases. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 years in South Korea. HRSNs were assessed using the Accountable Health Communities Screening Tool, and eHealth literacy was measured using the eHealth Literacy Scale. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine differences in domain-specific HRSNs by diabetes status and generalized linear models were applied to assess the associations of diabetes status and HRSNs with eHealth literacy. The overall HRSN burden did not differ according to diabetes status; however, older adults with diabetes were less likely to report unmet mental health needs. Diabetes status, but not HRSNs, was associated with lower eHealth literacy. These findings suggest that digital self-management support for older adults with diabetes should consider eHealth literacy levels and diabetes-related characteristics, while HRSN screening may provide complementary information on unmet social needs relevant to digital health access and engagement.