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BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2024

Open Access 01-12-2024 | Research

The roles of health literacy and social support in the association between smartphone ownership and frailty in older adults: a moderated mediation model

Authors: Jinseon Yi, Ju Young Yoon, Chang Won Won, Miji Kim, Kyoung Suk Lee

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2024

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Abstract

Background

Understanding the role of smartphones to promote the health status of older adults is important in the digital society. Little is known about the effects of having smartphones on physical frailty despite its positive effect on the well-being of older adults. This study aimed to explore the association between smartphone ownership and frailty in community-dwelling older adults and its underlying mechanism.

Methods

We used data from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study and analyzed 2,469 older adults aged 72–86 years. Frailty, health literacy, and social support were assessed by Fried’s frailty phenotype, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System health literacy module, and the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease (ENRICHD) Social Support Instrument, respectively. The mediation model and moderated mediation model were estimated, where the mediator was health literacy and the moderator was social support, to explore the relationship between smartphone ownership and frailty.

Results

Of our study participants, 58.9% owned smartphones, and 10.9% were classified as frail. Smartphone ownership was negatively associated with frailty (β = −0.623, p < 0.001). Health literacy mediated the relationship between smartphone ownership and frailty (β = −0.154, boot confidence interval [CI] = − 0.222, − 0.096), and social support moderated the mediation effect (β = −0.010, Boot CI = − 0.016, − 0.004).

Conclusions

Owning smartphones among older adults could reduce the risk of frailty. Promoting health literacy and social support among older adults with smartphones would be effective to prevent frailty.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
The roles of health literacy and social support in the association between smartphone ownership and frailty in older adults: a moderated mediation model
Authors
Jinseon Yi
Ju Young Yoon
Chang Won Won
Miji Kim
Kyoung Suk Lee
Publication date
01-12-2024
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2024
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18163-z

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