Introduction

In spite of the accelerating health literacy research in the last few decades, only limited data are available about the general health literacy of the Hungarian adult population and even less about the level of digital health literacy.

Objective

The aim of this cross-sectional survey was to provide a snapshot of the digital health literacy of Hungarian adults.

Methods

Data was collected by a polling company in a representative sample of the adult population (N = 1206) with computer-assisted telephone interviewing below the umbrella of the Health Literacy Survey 2019. The questionnaire included items among others on demographic and socioeconomic data, subjective well-being, general and digital health literacy. Statistical weights were applied to ensure that estimates reflect the general adult Hungarian population by gender, age group, educational level, settlement type.

Results

The mean age of the respondents was 48.0 years (standard deviation: 17.5 years), 47% of them were male. Regarding the digital health literacy, 29% of respondents found searching online for health-related information rather difficult, while 71% found it rather easy. Digital health literacy was less favourable among those who belong to the older age groups, can be characterized by lower socioeconomic status and worse health status. The mean score of the digital health literacy scale (71.8, 95% confidence interval, CI 70.1-73.5) was lower than the average score of the general health literacy (79.8, 95% CI 78.7-80.9).

Conclusions

Findings suggest that almost one-third of the adult Hungarian population has low digital health literacy, but the level of general health literacy is a little bit higher. Especially in the present pandemic situation, it would be worth implementing interventions to enhance digital health literacy, with a particular focus on the vulnerable groups.