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. 2024 Aug 7:26:e49453.
doi: 10.2196/49453.

Developing an Educational Resource Aimed at Improving Adolescent Digital Health Literacy: Using Co-Design as Research Methodology

Callum C Lewis  1 , Melody Taba  1   2 , Tiffany B Allen  1 , Patrina Hy Caldwell  1   3 , S Rachel Skinner  1   3 , Melissa Kang  4 , Hamish Henderson  5 , Liam Bray  5 , Madeleine Borthwick  5 , Philippa Collin  6 , Kirsten McCaffery  2 , Karen M Scott  1
Affiliations

Developing an Educational Resource Aimed at Improving Adolescent Digital Health Literacy: Using Co-Design as Research Methodology

Callum C Lewis et al. J Med Internet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is a key developmental period that affects lifelong health and is impacted by adolescents regularly engaging with digital health information. Adolescents need digital health literacy (DHL) to effectively evaluate the quality and credibility of such information, and to navigate an increasingly complex digital health environment. Few educational resources exist to improve DHL, and few have involved adolescents during design. The co-design approach may hold utility through developing interventions with participants as design partners.

Objective: This project aimed to explore the co-design approach in developing an educational resource to improve adolescents' DHL.

Methods: Adolescents (12-17 years old) attended 4 interactive co-design workshops (June 2021-April 2022). Participant perspectives were gathered on DHL and the design of educational resources to improve it. Data generated were analyzed through content analysis to inform educational resource development.

Results: In total, 27 participants from diverse backgrounds attended the workshops. Insight was gained into participants' relationship with digital health information, including acceptance of its benefits and relevance, coupled with awareness of misinformation issues, revealing areas of DHL need. Participants provided suggestions for educational resource development that incorporated the most useful aspects of digital formats to develop skills across these domains. The following 4 themes were derived from participant perspectives: ease of access to digital health information, personal and social factors that impacted use, impacts of the plethora of digital information, and anonymity offered by digital sources. Initial participant evaluation of the developed educational resource was largely positive, including useful suggestions for improvement.

Conclusions: Co-design elicited and translated authentic adolescent perspectives and design ideas into a functional educational resource. Insight into adolescents' DHL needs generated targeted educational resource content, with engaging formats, designs, and storylines. Co-design holds promise as an important and empowering tool for developing interventions to improve adolescents' DHL.

Keywords: Adolescent health; adolescents; co-design; digital health literacy; eHealth literacy; health education; online health information; social media.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Framework utilized for the co-design of a digital health literacy education resource (after Hagen et al) [42]. DHL: digital health literacy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Research design flowchart reflecting the multistage co-design development process of the educational resource. DHL: digital health literacy.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Examples of artefacts obtained from workshops: (A) educational resource design sketches and (B) affinity diagram.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Digital Health Literacy Issues: themes and subthemes representing adolescents’ experiences and issues with digital health literacy.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Digital Health Literacy (DHL) Resource Design Solutions: themes and subthemes representing design solutions generated in response to identified DHL needs. SCHN: Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Example screenshots from the digital health literacy resource generated through co-design, featuring health professional explainer videos, realistic digital health information use scenarios, and simulated engagement with digital health information across multiple platforms. The individuals featured in these images have provided their written consent for their image to be published.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • J Med Internet Res. 27:e70020.
  • J Med Internet Res. 27:e71897.

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