Objectives This study examined the associations between digital literacy and self-rated health (SRH), depression, and life satisfaction among older adults in the Republic of Korea.
Methods Data were obtained from the 2023 National Survey of Older Koreans (n=9,951). Digital literacy was evaluated based on participants’ ability to use 8 smartphone functions and their perceived difficulty adapting to a digital society. Dependent variables included SRH, depression (measured using the short form of Geriatric Depression Scale), and life satisfaction (assessed through a composite score across 7 domains). Multiple logistic regression was applied for SRH and depression, while linear regression was conducted for life satisfaction, adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related covariates.
Results Higher digital literacy was significantly associated with better SRH and greater life satisfaction. Compared to participants with no digital skills, those with moderate or high digital literacy had higher odds of reporting good SRH and significantly higher life satisfaction scores. Older adults who reported difficulty adapting to a digital society demonstrated significantly lower SRH and life satisfaction. However, after adjusting for covariates, the association between digital literacy and depression was not statistically significant.
Conclusion Higher digital literacy is linked to better SRH and greater life satisfaction. Moreover, digital literacy reduced the explanatory power of socioeconomic variables, suggesting that it serves as an important behavioral determinant. These findings underscore the importance of promoting digital literacy as a means of improving health equity and well-being in aging populations.
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Objectives
The aim of this study was to examine the composition of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components among middle-aged and older Koreans. Methods
A total of 263 participants (age 40 + years) in a lifestyle modification intervention program who met the MetS definition of National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) – Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III criteria were included in the study. The frequent patterns and clustering of MetS components were investigated. Clustering of changes in individual components, through a lifestyle modification intervention, was also identified. All characteristics were stratified by and compared between sexes. Results
Approximately 80% of the participants had three of five MetS risk factors at baseline. The prevalence of each risk differed by sex. MetS composition patterns that do not include low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were more noticeable in men because of the low prevalence of low HDL cholesterol. In women, with higher prevalence of low HDL cholesterol, more patterns that include low HDL cholesterol were observed. The most common combination was “elevated blood pressure + abdominal obesity + impaired fasting glucose” in both sexes. Clustering of MetS risks was also found with most of the frequent combinations of MetS components. Through the lifestyle intervention, the greatest change was observed in HDL cholesterol among men and blood pressure among women. Triglycerides and HDL cholesterol were likely to be improved with blood pressure in men and abdominal obesity in women. Conclusion
Differences in the prevalent patterns of MetS compositions were observed prior to and after the intervention, along with during-intervention changes. It is recommended that intervention strategies and guidelines for MetS management consider the MetS composition patterns for effectiveness.
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