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:

This study aimed to develop an Everyday Digital Literacy Questionnaire (EDLQ), a digital literacy assessment scale, and evaluate its psychometric properties among 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 of both groups were analyzed.

Results:

Among the initial 30 items of the EDLQ, 22 with a three-factor solution had a total explained variance of 77%. The domains included “information and communication” (nine items), “content creation and management” (four items), and “safety and security” (nine 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:

The study developed a digital literacy measure with strong psychometric properties, making it suitable for assessing the digital literacy of community-dwelling older adults in Korea. To broaden its applicability, however, it requires further assessment of its suitability for different languages and cultures. Additionally, conducting more empirical research on digital literacy and related factors in older adults can facilitate the creation of personalized digital healthcare services and educational interventions in the digital society.