Objective Chronic conditions represent a critical threat to the quality of life among older adults, owing to their chronicity and often incurable nature. Meanwhile, many older adults face an eHealth social challenge due to technology anxiety and systemic digital exclusion. Grounded in social cognitive theory and socioemotional selectivity theory, this study examines how online and offline social support aid Chinese older adults with chronic conditions, focusing on the mediating role of health management self-efficacy and the moderating role of online patient-centered communication. Methods This study is a national quantitative cross-sectional survey conducted in China from June to October 2023 ( n = 4,979), targeting older adults with chronic conditions ( n = 721). Mediation and moderation analyses were performed using PROCESS macro for SPSS. Results Results showed a significant association between offline social support and healthy lifestyle among Chinese older adults with chronic conditions ( β =.135, p .05). In addition, health management self-efficacy mediated the association between both online and offline social support and healthy lifestyle (effect=.012, 95%CI .009,.043; effect=.032, 95%CI .023,.042). Furthermore, a moderating effect of online patient-centered communication was observed in the online social support pathway ( β =.160, p <.05). Conclusions This study provides empirical evidence on the associations between online and offline social support and healthy lifestyle among Chinese older adults with chronic conditions, with health management self-efficacy as mediator and online patient-centered communication as a moderator. Understanding these relationships can inform interventions designed to enhance health communication, foster social connectedness, and promote well-being among older adults.
Xie et al. (Sun,) studied this question.