Health Anxiety and its Relationship with Digital Health Literacy in Hungary

Gyulai, Anikó and Szabó, Csaba and Lakatos, Csilla (2025) Health Anxiety and its Relationship with Digital Health Literacy in Hungary. EGÉSZSÉGTUDOMÁNYI KÖZLEMÉNYEK, 15 (2). pp. 31-40. ISSN 2063-2142

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Abstract

In the context of digitised health information environments, understanding the relationship between digital health literacy and health anxiety is increasingly important.This study aimed to describe the levesl of digital health literacy and health anxiety among Hungarian adults and to investigate the background factors that influencing both. Additionally the relationship between digital health literacy and health anxiety was also investigated. A total of 314 participants aged 18 years and over completed an online questionnaire. The survey included the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) and the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI). Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent samples t-tests, Cohen’s d, Pearson and Spearman correlations were applied, with a significance threshold set at p < 0.05 were applied. Women reported significantly higher health anxiety scores than men (mean = 34.8 vs. 33.0; p = 0.005), particularly for the “perceived likelihood of getting sick” subscale. Health anxiety increased with age, with the highest scores recorded in those over 65 years old (p = 0.008). The mean eHEALS score was 30.2 (SD = 6.3). Although no significant difference in health anxiety was found between the participants with low and high eHEALS score groups (p = 0.12), a weak yet significant negative correlation was found between digital health literacy and health anxiety (ρ = –0.18; p = 0.001), suggesting that higher digital health literacy is associated with lower health anxiety. Women, older adults, and individuals with poorer self-rated health tended to report greater health anxiety. These findings highlight the potential importance of targeted digital health education for anxiety prevention and health promotion.

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