Validating the Digital Health Literacy Instrument in Relation to COVID-19 Information (COVID-DHL-K) among South Korean Undergraduates

Digital health literacy is crucial in accessing and applying health information in the COVID-19 pandemic period. Young college students are exposed daily to digital technologies, and they have further increased the use of digital information during the COVID-19 period. This study aimed to adapt DHLI into Korean and to assess the psychometric properties, during the COVID-19 pandemic period. A cross-sectional, nationwide, and web-based survey was conducted among 604 Korean undergraduates from 23 December 2020 to 8 January 2021. On the basis of the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI) by the Global COVID HL Network, the Korean questionnaire was developed by group translation, expert reviews, and forward-backward translation for validation. The scale reliability and validity were examined using Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analysis. Results support the theoretical and empirical four-factor structure (search, express, evaluate, use) in the coronavirus-related DHL among Korean University students. Internal reliability of the overall scale was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.908). The four-factor model was supported by confirmatory factor analysis (GFI = 0.972, CFI = 0.984, TLI = 0.978, RMSEA = 0.045). This study revealed that the COVID-DHL-K is a valid and reliable measure with appropriate psychometric characteristics.