JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The need for digital literacy in aging populations is increasing in the digitalizing society. Digital literacy involves identification, evaluation, and communication of information through various digital devices or relevant programs.

Objective:

The aims of this study were to develop an Everyday Digital Literacy Questionnaire (EDLQ), a digital literacy assessment scale, and subsequently evaluate its psychometric properties using a population of community-dwelling older adults in South Korea.

Methods:

The EDLQ was developed using an instrument development design. A nationwide survey was conducted, and the study included 1,016 community-dwelling older adults (age ≥ 60 years). To evaluate the psychometric properties, the participants were randomly divided into two groups (n=508 each) and the internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega), structural validity (exploratory factor analysis [EFA] and confirmatory factor analysis [CFA]), hypothesis-testing construct validity using the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS), and measurement invariance were analyzed.

Results:

Among the initial 30 items of the EDLQ, 22 items with a three-factor solution had a total explained variance of 77%. The domains included “information and communication” (9 items), “content creation and management” (4 items), and “safety and security” (9 items). CFA was conducted with this three-factor solution (χ²206=345.1, χ²/df=1.7, CFI=0.997, TLI=0.997, RMSEA=0.036, SRMR=0.050, CR=0.903-0.959, AVE=0.699−0.724, R²=0.616−0.773). Hypothesis-testing construct validity with the eHEALS revealed a strong correlation (r=0.75). Both Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega coefficients were 0.98. The fit indices for measurement invariance, including the configural, metric, and scalar invariance models, demonstrated a satisfactory fit to the data. Our findings suggest that the psychometric properties of the 22-item EDLQ are valid and reliable for assessing digital literacy among older Korean adults.

Conclusions:

In this study, we developed a digital literacy measure with strong psychometric properties that made it suitable for assessing the digital literacy of community-dwelling older adults in Korea. To broaden its applicability, however, further assessment of its feasibility for use with different languages and cultures is necessary. Moreover, more empirical research on digital literacy and related factors in older adults can facilitate the development of personalized digital healthcare services and educational interventions in the digital society.