Testing Reliability and Validity of the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) for Older Adults Recruited Online

Abstract

Currently, vast amounts of health information and health management tools are available to the public online. To maximize the benefits of these eHealth technologies, it is important to assess the eHealth literacy of individuals. The eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) has been used widely in the past several years, but mainly in younger populations. The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric aspects of the eHEALS for older adults using a secondary data analysis (N = 866, mean age, 62.8 ± 8.5 years). Reliability of the eHEALS was examined by calculating alpha coefficients and conducting test-retest procedures. Its validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis and the hypothesis testing procedure. Findings demonstrated that eHEALS was internally consistent (α = .94) and stable (t [244] = −1.48, p = .140). The exploratory factor analysis yielded a single factor structure explaining 67.3% of the variance. The hypothesis testing also supported the validity of eHEALS. In recent years, there have been great efforts to use eHealth interventions to engage patients in health care and to help them manage their own health. Our study suggests that the eHEALS, a short screening tool for eHealth literacy, can be successfully used for older adults.

How Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Comorbid Health Conditions Utilize eHealth to Manage Their Health Care Needs: A Mixed-Methods Analysis

“…Most had searched for health information, communicated with a provider via email, and tracked their medication, but fewer had used online health-related support groups, games, and mobile apps. The average eHEALS (eHealth Literacy Scale) score was comparable to scores reported by similarly aged nonveteran samples, including 283 baby boomers and older adults who use the Web (mean age 67.5 years; mean eHEALS score 29.1, SD 5.8) [44] and 866 adults aged 50 years or older, who use the Web (mean age 62.8 years; mean eHEALS score 30.9, SD 6.0) [39]. The relatively high self-reported eHealth literacy reported in these samples may be due to their high education levels and experience using the Web and, in the case of our study, purposeful sampling of those who had exposure to the VA’s electronic patient portal system [44].…”

“…The summed scores range from 8 to 40 [38]. This measure has been found to consistently capture the concept of eHealth literacy (coefficient alpha = .88; [39]). The scale correlates with consumer comfort and skill in using information technology.…”

Electronic Health Literacy Across the Lifespan: Measurement Invariance Study (Preprint)

“…The Mdn age value of the current sample was 49, and an inspection of a histogram showed a bimodal age distribution. Consistent with principles of SEM and the average age value in existing exploratory eHEALS measurement studies [ [34][35][36]39], using age 49 as a cut-off value was appropriate to create two age groups: young and old . Frequency and descriptive statistics were computed to describe the sample and eHealth literacy scores.…”

“…The eHEALS is a brief, 8-item rating scale grounded in self-efficacy, or the confidence in one's capability to engage in a behavior to result in a desired outcome [32]. Despite its initial development with high school adolescents, evidence has been established for the validity of eHEALS scores across diverse populations, including college-aged students [33], the general adult population [33], patients with chronic disease [34], and older adults recruited to surveys conducted online [35] and through the telephone [36]. These studies provide evidence for using eHEALS in diverse populations, but they do not provide empirical evidence for valid age-group comparisons.…”

Osteoporosis Preventive Practice Between Veteran and Nonveteran Older Adults

“…The calculated alpha in this study was .94. Its validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis and the hypothesis testing procedure (Chung & Nahm, 2015). …”