TY  - JOUR
AU  - Standaar, Lucille
AU  - Israel, Adriana Margje
AU  - van der Vaart, Rosalie
AU  - Keij, Brigitta
AU  - van Lenthe, Frank J
AU  - Friele, Roland
AU  - Beenackers, Mariëlle A
AU  - van Tuyl, Lilian Huibertina Davida
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/4/28
TI  - The Motivations of Citizens to Attend an eHealth Course in the Public Library: Qualitative Interview Study
JO  - JMIR Form Res
SP  - e60612
VL  - 9
KW  - digital health
KW  - help-seeking behavior
KW  - socioeconomic factors
KW  - community health services
KW  - older people
KW  - eHealth
KW  - older adults
KW  - geriatric
KW  - support
KW  - eHealth literacy
KW  - interview
KW  - Netherlands
KW  - thematic data analysis
KW  - health literacy
KW  - mobile phone
AB  - Background: There is worldwide recognition of the potential increase of digital health inequity due to the increased digitalization of health care systems. Digital health skill development may prevent disparities in eHealth access and use. In the Dutch context, the public library has started to facilitate support in digital health skill development by offering public eHealth courses. Understanding the motivations of people to seek support may help to further develop this type of public service. Objective: This is a qualitative study on the motivations of citizens participating in an eHealth course offered by public libraries. The study aimed to explore why citizens were motivated to seek nonformal support for eHealth use. Methods: A total of 20 semistructured interviews with participants who participated in an eHealth course were conducted in 7 public libraries across the Netherlands. The interviews were conducted between April and June 2022. Purposive sampling took place in the public library during the eHealth course. The interviews covered participants’ motivations, attitudes, and experiences with eHealth use and their motivations to seek help with eHealth use. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Themes were identified via a comprehensive thematic data analysis. Results: The participants were 51 to 82 years of age (average 73.5, SD 6.6 y) and 14 (70%) participants were female. Three motivational themes were identified: (1) adapting to an increasingly digital society, (2) sense of urgency facilitated by prior experience in health care, and (3) a need for self-reliance and autonomy. Additionally, participants expressed a general desire for social contact and lifelong learning. A lack of adequate informal support by friends and family for digital skills and positive experiences with formal support from public libraries stimulated the participants to seek formal support for eHealth use. Conclusions: We show that the participants had a feeling of urgency that sparked their motivation to seek nonformal support in the public library. Motivations to participate in the eHealth course stemmed from the need to adapt to the digital society, being a patient or a caregiver, or the need or wish to be independent from others. Participants of the study were mainly older female adults who had native language abilities, up-to-date digital devices, and time. It is likely that other populations experience similar feelings of urgency but have other support needs. Future research should explore the needs and attitudes of nonusers and other users of digital health toward seeking support in eHealth access and use. 
SN  - 2561-326X
UR  - https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e60612
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/60612
DO  - 10.2196/60612
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/60612
ER  -