Polish researchers develop digital hygiene assessment tool

Polish scientists have developed the Digital Hygiene Behavior Scale (DHBS), a tool designed to assess how frequently individuals engage in behaviors that promote healthy and safe technology use. Unlike traditional metrics that focus solely on screen time, this scale evaluates a broader range of digital hygiene practices.

The tool covers four key areas: setting boundaries and controlling technology use, digital security behaviors, content and information management, and other health-promoting behaviors during technology use. The development process began in 2022 and involved refining an initial 89 questions down to a final 17-question instrument through expert evaluation and pilot testing with 436 participants. The final version was validated using a sample of 1,067 adult internet users in Poland.

The research, conducted by experts from the Warsaw Medical University, the University of Warsaw, the Humanistic Academy in Łódź, and the Korczak Academy of Applied Sciences, has been accepted for publication in the ‘Journal of Medical Internet Research’.