Effect of Digital Health Literacy Program on Self-Care Practices among Rural Women

Background
Rural women often face barriers in accessing health information due to limited literacy, lack of resources, and inadequate awareness. Digital health literacy (DHL) can empower women to seek reliable health information, improve self-care practices, and enhance health outcomes.
Objective
To assess the effect of a digital health literacy program on self-care practices among rural women.
Methods
A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 100 rural women in selected villages of Agra district, Uttar Pradesh. Participants were selected using purposive sampling and divided into experimental (n=50) and control (n=50) groups. A structured questionnaire on digital health literacy and a self-care practice checklist were used for data collection. The experimental group received a four-week digital health literacy program covering nutrition, personal hygiene, maternal-child health, menstrual hygiene, and common illnesses using mobile applications, WhatsApp videos, and tele-health counseling. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (paired t-test, independent t-test, chi-square test).
Results
Pre-test scores revealed poor digital health literacy and low self-care practices in both groups. Post-intervention, the experimental group showed a significant improvement in digital health literacy (mean score: 12.8 → 24.3; p<0.001) and self-care practices (mean score: 15.1 → 28.6; p<0.001), while the control group showed no significant change. A positive correlation was found between digital health literacy and self-care practices (r=0.72, p<0.01).
Conclusion
The digital health literacy program significantly improved self-care practices among rural women. Incorporating digital health literacy interventions in rural health programs can empower women, bridge health inequities, and enhance community health outcomes.

Digital health literacy, Self-care practices, Rural women, Health education

1. Bautista, J. R. (2015). From solving a puzzle to making connections: A theory of digital health literacy derived from qualitative inquiry. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(7), e176. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.4515 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Chesser, A., Burke, A., Reyes, J., & Rohrberg, T. (2016). Navigating the digital divide: A systematic review of eHealth literacy in underserved populations in the United States. Informatics for Health and Social Care, 41(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3109/17538157.2014.948171 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Griebel, L., Enwald, H., Gilstad, H., Pohl, A. L., Moreland, J., & Sedlmayr, M. (2018). eHealth literacy research—Quo vadis? Informatics for Health and Social Care, 43(4), 427–442. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538157.2017.1364247 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Norman, C. D., & Skinner, H. A. (2006). eHealth literacy: Essential skills for consumer health in a networked world. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 8(2), e9. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.8.2.e9 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Sørensen, K., van den Broucke, S., Fullam, J., Doyle, G., Pelikan, J., Slonska, Z., & Brand, H. (2012). Health literacy and public health: A systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health, 12(1), 80. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-80 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. van der Vaart, R., & Drossaert, C. (2017). Development of the Digital Health Literacy Instrument: Measuring a broad spectrum of health 1.0 and health 2.0 skills. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(1), e27. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.6709 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. World Health Organization (2021). Global strategy on digital health 2020–2025. WHO Publications. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240020924 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Zhang, Y., Sun, Y., & Xie, B. (2015). Quality of health information for consumers on the web: A systematic review of indicators, criteria, tools, and evaluation results. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 66(10), 2071–2084. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23311 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. (2022). Digital health initiatives in India. MoHFW Reports. https://www.mohfw.gov.in [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Nutbeam, D. (2008). The evolving concept of health literacy. Social Science & Medicine, 67(12), 2072–2078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.09.050 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Migrant Health in Morocco: Between Law and Reality
• CaknaMinda: An Educator-Centred Mobile App for Early Screening of Mental Health and Schizophrenia Risks
• Health System and Nursing Strategies for Enhancing Male Participation in Family Planning: Evidence from Tema General Hospital, Ghana.
• From Īśvara-Praṇidhāna to Parā-Bhakti: Convergent Paths of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga and Bhakti Yoga
• Evidence-Based Psycho-Oncological Interventions: A Multimodal Approach to Supportive Care