Polish scientists have developed a 17-question tool to measure how often people engage in behaviours that promote healthy and safe use of technology, going beyond simply tracking how much time they spend online.
The Digital Hygiene Behavior Scale (DHBS) takes into account four areas of technology use: setting boundaries and controlling usage, digital safety, content and information management, and other health-promoting behaviours associated with technology.
The scale was created by experts from the Medical University of Warsaw, Korczak University, the Academy of Humanities and Economics in Łódź, and the University of Warsaw. A paper describing its development and validation has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
In a release sent to the Polish Press Agency, the authors say discussions about the impact of digital technologies on health often focus mainly on time spent using the internet and social media platforms. Digital hygiene, however, is a much broader concept, encompassing behaviours that promote conscious and safe use of digital devices, services and content while reducing their potential adverse effects on health.
The researchers set out to develop a tool capable of measuring how frequently people engage in such behaviours.
Work on the scale began in 2022, coinciding with the first edition of the National Digital Hygiene Study. The scientists initially developed 89 questions, which were then evaluated by experts. Following further selection stages and a pilot study involving 436 participants, the questionnaire was reduced to 39 questions.
The 39-question version was tested on a nationwide sample of 1,067 adult internet users. The researchers ultimately reduced the scale to 17 questions covering four areas of digital hygiene.
The first involves setting boundaries and controlling technology use; the second concerns digital safety behaviours; the third covers content and information management; and the fourth addresses other health-promoting behaviours associated with technology use.
The tool was then validated on a second, independent sample of 1,000 people. Researchers assessed its reliability and validity, as well as the stability of the results when participants were tested again.
“The greatest challenge was creating a tool that would encompass various aspects of digital hygiene while remaining concise and easy to use. We evaluated each question not only statistically but also in terms of its significance and usefulness,” says Professor Mariusz Panczyk from the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Medical University of Warsaw.
The authors hope the scale will be useful both in scientific research and practical settings. It can be used to assess the frequency of digital hygiene behaviours, conduct population-based studies, track changes over time, and evaluate the effectiveness of educational initiatives and other interventions. Norms have also been developed to allow results to be interpreted according to age and gender.
“What we do on screen-based devices matters, as do the duration and level of awareness involved, as well as the accompanying activities or the things we forgo as a result. Recognizing this complexity allows for a broader and more insightful perspective on how we use screen devices, fosters a better understanding of the practice, and helps identify effective solutions to protect our health,” says Magdalena Woynarowska, PhD, from the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Medical University of Warsaw.
Katarzyna Czechowicz (PAP)
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