Psychometric validation of the Chinese digital health literacy instrument among Chinese older adults who have internet use experience

Introduction

In this digital age, the Internet has become a major source of health information, and electronic health (eHealth) literacy becomes increasingly important for older individuals to properly use the extensive eHealth resources for self-care. A valid and reliable tool for assessing older people's eHealth literacy would help healthcare workers identify those disadvantaged groups in digital health and provide relevant health education.

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of DHLI in assessing eHealth literacy among older adults in China.

Methods

A web-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among 277 Chinese older adults from September to November 2021. Two weeks after the first completion, 62 of them answered the C-DHLI again. The reliability (e.g. internal consistency and test–retest reliability), factorial structure and validity (i.e. content validity and convergent validity) of the C-DHLI were evaluated based on the survey data.

Results

The results demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.94) and test–retest reliability (total intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]: 0.94) of the C-DHLI. Principal component analysis revealed that the 18 items of C-DHLI loaded on three factors, accounting for 74.69% of the total variance; CFA supported its three-factor structure with good model fits. Convergent validity was examined by the significant associations between C-DHLI and C-eHEALS (r = 0.61), health literacy (r = 0.56), and whether having used the Internet for health information (ρ = 0.43) (ps <.001). A cut-off score of 45 was recommended for determining higher and lower literacy using the C-DHLI, with the area under curve of 0.82 (95% CI = 0.77–0.88).

Conclusions and Implications for Practice

The C-DHLI showed good psychometric performance in assessing eHealth literacy among Chinese older adults. The findings can support healthcare professionals to effectively measure eHealth literacy among older adults and conduct tailored eHealth interventions or training.