Improving cancer survivors' e-health literacy via online health communities (OHCs): a social support perspective

Purpose Cancer survivors should have adequate e-health literacy to help them better use online health information. Online health communities (OHCs) can offer cancer survivors different types of social support that can represent another resource to improve health outcomes. However, there is little knowledge of how these OHC are directly related to a cancer survivors' e-health literacy. This study explores how different types of social support in OHCs are associated with cancer survivors' e-health literacy. Methods A questionnaire was developed to collect data from two Chinese OHCs used by cancer survivors. The questionnaire is composed of two parts: six sociodemographic variables (i.e., gender, age, city, education, tenure, and prior Internet experience), two scales for informational support behaviors (i.e., health knowledge seeking and provision of health knowledge), a measure of emotional support within such a setting, and a measure of e-health literacy. Based on 162 complete samples, we determined the measurement properties of the scales used, provided descriptive statistics on major sociodemographic variables and conducted bivariate and multivariable hierarchical regression. Results For cancer survivors, females demonstrate higher levels of e-health literacy. Higher education level was related to higher e-health literacy. Health knowledge seeking, contributing to health knowledge, and emotional support were all positively associated with e-health literacy. The interaction effect between health knowledge and emotional support is positively associated with e-health literacy. Conclusions Informational support and emotional support, as two major subtypes of social support within resources available in OHCs, are positively associated with e-health literacy among cancer survivors. Implications for Cancer Survivors Cancer survivors might benefit from an active strategy for improving personal e-health literacy that includes more active informational involvement and emotional support rather than a passive lurking through e-health information and seeking and reading postings in OHCs.