First assessment of the eHealth Literacy Questionnaire (eHLQ) among French people with chronic kidney disease

Background Social deprivation limits access to the kidney transplant waiting list. Possible mediators of this association could be health literacy (HL) and eHealth literacy (e-HL) levels. Digital health interventions have been developed to improve patient health information and education. Their development should be based on the e-HL level of the target population to meet their health needs. A tool is needed to measure the e-HL of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to assess the eHealth Literacy Questionnaire (eHLQ) in a French population with CKD. Methods Patients with CKD were recruited from January to March 2023 to complete the eHLQ. Three other questionnaires were completed to assess HL and dependence in daily life. The analysis included item assessment, scale reliability and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Results A total of 371 patients completed the questionnaire. The analysis suggested a different structure, as the 4-factor EFA was the most meaningful and appropriate. The internal consistency was adequate for each scale. The highest score was obtained for scale 4, “Feel safe and in control” and the lowest for scale 1, “Using technology to process health information”. Conclusions Our study suggests that a division of the eHLQ into 4 scales should better reflect e-HL among French patients with CKD. The eHLQ should be modified to improve its construct validity. A validated tool to evaluate e-HL in the population with CKD is essential to improve health equity in access to health education and healthcare.