Sociodemographic differences in digital health literacy of schoolchildren: a representative study

Abstract

Abstract Background The increasing amount, availability, and use of digital health information through the Internet, social media, and apps highlights the relevance of digital health literacy in schoolchildren. Children and youth need digital health literacy in order to find, understand, and appraise health information and to make health decisions in everyday live. However, there is only limited to none evidence available on child and youth digital health literacy. This study aims at investigating digital health literacy of schoolchildren in Germany and explore associations with sociodemographic differences. Methods Data were collected from a representative sample of N = 1,448 secondary schoolchildren employing a face-to-face survey (CAPI) (Oct-Nov 2022). In addition to sociodemographic information (age, gender, migration, family affluence, education level), digital health literacy was measured using an adapted and translated self-report tool for secondary schoolchildren in Germany. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and internal consistency were calculated using SPSS. Results Cronbach's alpha indicated a good internal consistency (α=.82) for the overall scale and an acceptable-to-good reliability for the subscales (α=.735-.866). Digital health literacy was low in more than half of the participants (52.9%). While no differences were found for gender (X2 (1)=0.25, p=.618) and migration background (X2 (2)=2.34, p=.31), lower digital health literacy was more frequent among younger children aged 9-11 years (X2 (2)=34.69, p = <.001), children with low family affluence (X2 (4)=24.16, p = <.001), and lower parental education (X2 (2)=8.26, p=.016). Conclusions The results of the first study of its kind in Europe suggests an elevated need to promote digital health literacy in schoolchildren. Public health and education policies and interventions are needed that pay attention particularly to younger children's needs, to those from lower family affluence, and lower parental education.