Older Adult Measure
Frequency of tech measures
What is this measuring?
How often respondents use different technological devices including tablets, smartphones, etc.
Source(s)
Leedahl, S. N., Souza, K., Capolino, A., Brasher, M., Pascuzzi, E., Azzinaro, C., Ellison, T., Estus, E., & Maigret, M. (2023). Improving technology use, digital competence, and access to community resources among older participants in the University of Rhode Island Engaging Generations Cyber‐Seniors digiAGE Pilot Study. Journal of Elder Policy, 2(3), 55–92.
Survey items – question wording and instructions to participants:
How much do you agree with the statements, I feel competent (able to):
| Competency | 1 Not at all | 2 A little | 3 Weekly | 4 Very much |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Search & find information about goods & services | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 2. Read or download a file | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 3. Obtain information from public authorities or public services | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 4. Seek health information | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5. Send/receive emails | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 6. Use video calls, such as Skype | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 7. Participate in social networks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 8. Post messages on social networks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 9. Share talents or interests on social networks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 10. Share interests and ideas with those they know | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 11. Use copy/paste tools | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 12. Have a telehealth appointment | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Coding – answer choices:
1 (Not at all), 2 (A little), 3 (Somewhat), and 4 (Very much)
Scaling – how to combine items / score
Using these questions/responses, we created two measures: a composite scale that averaged the responses across the 12 questions (range 1-4) and a count of the number of digital competencies in which respondents reported “very much” (range 0-12).
Psychometrics – Cronbach’s alpha if possible
Pre-survey: 0.91 (Leedahl et al 2023)