Promoting health education and behavior change for chronic lung disease: potential for eHealth and insights from a global perspective

Abstract

Drawing on three countries with distinct socioeconomic, geographic and healthcare contexts, using questionnaires, interviews, a literature review and an interventional study design, this thesis provided a global perspective on health education needs and behavioral challenges related to chronic lung disease (CLD), examined the potential of eHealth (the use of information and technology in healthcare) for supporting CLD health education and behavior change. Specifically, this thesis:

1) identified misbeliefs, misperceptions and several behavioral challenges regarding CLD in Kyrgyzstan, such as prevalent smoking, risk fuels use, delayed help-seeking among community members, restricted and experience-based helping behaviors among healthcare professionals due to lack of resources;

2) assessed eHealth literacy (eHL) and its associated factors among Chinese general population; 3) provided an overview of existing literature on digital health education for CLD, and reported delivery mediums, educational content, intervention mechanisms, and outcomes; 4) examined whether individual illness perceptions and eHL could influence the effectiveness of a digital inhaler for asthma patients in Dutch primary care. These findings underscore the importance of tailoring health education to local needs and contexts, and ensuring the inclusiveness and equity of eHealth.