Comparison of Self-Tracking Health Practices, eHealth Literacy, and Subjective Well-Being Between College Students With and Without Disabilities: Cross-Sectional Survey (Preprint)

Abstract

College students with disabilities need to transition from pediatric-centered care to adult care. However, they may become overwhelmed by multiple responsibilities, such as academic activities, peer relationships, career preparation, job seeking, independent living, as well as managing their health and promoting healthy behaviors.

As the use of smartphones and wearable devices for collecting personal health data becomes popular, this study aimed to compare the characteristics of self-tracking health practices between college students with disabilities and their counterparts. In addition, this study examined the relationships between disability status, self-tracking health practices, eHealth literacy, and subjective well-being among college students.

The web-based questionnaire was designed using Qualtrics for the cross-sectional online survey. The survey data were collected from February 2023 to April 2023 and included responses from 702 participants.

More than 80% (563/702, 80.2%) of the respondents participated voluntarily in self-tracking health practices. College students with disabilities (n=83) showed significantly lower levels of eHealth literacy and subjective well-being compared with college students without disabilities (n=619). The group with disabilities reported significantly lower satisfaction (<i>t</i>₄₁₁=–5.97, <i>P</i>&lt;.001) and perceived efficacy (<i>t</i>₄₁₁=–4.85, <i>P</i>&lt;.001) when using smartphone health apps and wearable devices. Finally, the study identified a significant correlation between subjective well-being in college students and disability status (<i>β</i>=3.81, <i>P</i>&lt;.001), self-tracking health practices (<i>β</i>=2.22, <i>P</i>=.03), and eHealth literacy (<i>β</i>=24.29, <i>P</i>&lt;.001).

Given the significant relationships among disability status, self-tracking health practices, eHealth literacy, and subjective well-being in college students, it is recommended to examine their ability to leverage digital technology for self-care. Offering learning opportunities to enhance eHealth literacy and self-tracking health strategies within campus environments could be a strategic approach to improve the quality of life and well-being of college students.