712-P: Social Support, eHealth Literacy, and mHealth Use in Older Adults with Diabetes—Moderated Mediating Effect of Perceived Importance of App Design

Mobile healthcare (mHealth) for older adults with diabetes could benefit diabetes self-management. However, limited research is available regarding the factors influencing mHealth use. This descriptive study aimed to identify the factors that influence mHealth use. Participants aged 65 years or older with diabetes living in South Korea were recruited online and offline to complete a structured self-report questionnaire. With 252 valid responses, the moderated mediating effect of eHealth literacy and the perceived importance of app design in the relationship between social support and mHealth use were tested using SPSS PROCESS Macro 4.0. The results show that social support had a positive relationship with mHealth use, and eHealth literacy and perceived importance of app aesthetics had a moderated mediating effect. Moreover, when patients’ perceived importance of app aesthetics was high, eHealth literacy more positively affected mHealth use. This study implies that it is necessary to enlist the help of family, friends, and neighbors to increase access to internet-based health information and encourage mHealth use among older adults with diabetes. Furthermore, this study suggests developers should consider user experience (UX), such as font size, color, and menu configuration when developing mHealth for older adults with diabetes. Disclosure M.Kim: None. B.Kim: None. S.Park: None.