• Digital health determinants &a...

Treffer: Digital health determinants & divide in the Arab world: A cross-sectional study.

Title:
Digital health determinants & divide in the Arab world: A cross-sectional study.
Authors:
Qasrawi R; Department of Computer Science, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine.; Department of Computer Engineering, Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey., Tayyem R; Department of Human Nutrition, College of Health Sciences, Qatar University (QU)-Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar., Thwib S; Department of Computer Science, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine., Issa G; Department of Computer Science, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine., Amro M; Department of Computer Science, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine., AbuGhoush R; The Center of Technology and Innovation, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine., Al Sabbah H; Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, United Arab Emirates, Dubai., Bookari K; Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia., Alawadhi N; School of Education, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait., Allehdan S; Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Bahrain, Zallaq, Kingdom of Bahrain., Trigui H; Laboratoire de Microbiologie Moléculaire, Vaccinologie et Développement Biotechnologique, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, the University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia., Sokhn E; Molecular Testing Laboratory, Medical Laboratory Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon., Khader Y; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan., Badran E; Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine, Neonatal-Perinatal Division, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan., Kamel I; National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt., Abdallah A; Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, QU Health Sector, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar., Jemaà M; Human Genetics Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Tunis El Manar University, Tunis, Tunisia.; Neurophysiology, Cellular Physiopathology and Valorisation of Biomolecules Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Tunis El Manar University, Tunis, Tunisia.; Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Tunis El Manar University, Tunis, Tunisia., Musa E; AI4PEP York University, Toronto, Canada., Kong JD; Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, York University, North York, Ontario, Canada.
Source:
PloS one [PLoS One] 2025 Dec 31; Vol. 20 (12), pp. e0338299. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Dec 31 (Print Publication: 2025).
Publication Type:
Journal Article
Language:
English
Journal Info:
Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):
Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science
MeSH Terms:
Arab World* , Digital Health* , Health Literacy* , Internet Access*, Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Arabs ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Internet ; Middle East
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Entry Date(s):
Date Created: 20251231 Date Completed: 20251231 Latest Revision: 20260105
Update Code:
20260105
PubMed Central ID:
PMC12755751
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0338299
PMID:
41474811
Database:
MEDLINE

Weitere Informationen

Background: Digital determinants of health include key technological factors such as internet access, digital literacy, and the quality of online health information. These elements critically influence health outcomes and behaviors.
Methods: This study examined the impact of digital health determinants on health improvement across ten Arab countries: Bahrain, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. The study analyzed a dataset of 12,522 samples after implementing SMOTE-ENN to balance underrepresented demographics, capturing data on digital literacy, internet access, and the impact of online health information on personal health.
Results: Results showed that 93.9% of participants reported having internet access, yet 71.4% did not receive formal education on internet usage. Morocco, Tunisia, and Jordan reported the highest percentages of individuals without such education. Regarding health impacts, 32.9% of participants reported significant personal health improvements linked to digital determinants. Egypt, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia had higher rates of positive health impacts, while Morocco, Jordan, and Bahrain reported the lowest health improvements. Higher digital literacy and reliable internet access were positively associated with better health outcomes across all countries, whereas specific sociodemographic and digital factors varied: younger age and urban residence were linked to greater benefit in the Gulf; education level and healthcare access were especially influential in North Africa; and in the Levant, digital literacy and use of trusted health sources showed strong impact. These findings show both shared and region-specific drivers of digital health benefits.
Conclusion: Improving health outcomes requires diversification: foundational education on internet usage must be combined with broader digital literacy initiatives, efforts to build and maintain trust in credible online health platforms, and strategies that actively foster patient engagement through interactive digital tools. Policies should also ensure reliable internet infrastructure and tailor interventions to regional and sociodemographic contexts to improve overall health outcomes.
(Copyright: © 2025 Qasrawi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.