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Digital Health Literacy Related to COVID-19: Validation and Implementation of a Questionnaire in Hispanic University Students

Author

Listed:
  • María F. Rivadeneira

    (Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito 17-01-2184, Ecuador)

  • María J. Miranda-Velasco

    (Department of Education Sciences, Faculty of Teacher Training, University of Extremadura, 06006 Bajadoz, Spain)

  • Hiram V. Arroyo

    (School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan 365067, Puerto Rico)

  • José D. Caicedo-Gallardo

    (Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito 17-01-2184, Ecuador
    School of Economics, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito 17-01-2184, Ecuador)

  • Carmen Salvador-Pinos

    (Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 6120, Ecuador)

Abstract

Digital health literacy influences decision-making in health. There are no validated instruments to evaluate the digital literacy about COVID-19 in Spanish-speaking countries. This study aimed to validate the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI) about COVID-19 adapted to Spanish (COVID-DHLI-Spanish) in university students and to describe its most important results. A cross-sectional study was developed with 2318 university students from Spain, Puerto Rico, and Ecuador. Internal consistency was measured with Cronbach’s alpha and principal component analysis. Construct validity was analyzed using Spearman’s correlations and the Kruskal–Wallis test. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was good for the global scale (Cronbach’s alpha 0.69, 95% CI 0.67) as well as for its dimensions. A total of 51.1% ( n = 946) of students had sufficient digital literacy, 40.1% ( n = 742) had problematic digital literacy, and 8.8% ( n = 162) had inadequate digital literacy. The DHLI was directly and significantly correlated with age, subjective social perception, sense of coherence, and well-being ( p < 0.001). The average digital literacy was higher in men than in women, in students older than 22 years, and in those with greater satisfaction with online information ( p < 0.001). The COVID-DHLI-Spanish is useful for measuring the digital literacy about COVID-19 in Spanish-speaking countries. This study suggests gaps by gender and socioeconomic perception.

Suggested Citation

  • María F. Rivadeneira & María J. Miranda-Velasco & Hiram V. Arroyo & José D. Caicedo-Gallardo & Carmen Salvador-Pinos, 2022. "Digital Health Literacy Related to COVID-19: Validation and Implementation of a Questionnaire in Hispanic University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-14, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:7:p:4092-:d:783097
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rubeena Zakar & Sarosh Iqbal & Muhammad Zakria Zakar & Florian Fischer, 2021. "COVID-19 and Health Information Seeking Behavior: Digital Health Literacy Survey amongst University Students in Pakistan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-20, April.
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    7. Heeran Chun & Eun-Ja Park & Seul Ki Choi & Hyeran Yoon & Orkan Okan & Kevin Dadaczynski, 2022. "Validating the Digital Health Literacy Instrument in Relation to COVID-19 Information (COVID-DHL-K) among South Korean Undergraduates," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-9, March.
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