Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Chinese version of the HLS-EU-Q47.

The development of health literacy in China is relatively slow, and there are fewer health literacy scales, which is difficult to measure. Therefore, this study aims to promote the development of health literacy in China through the translation and application of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47). The scale was translated into Chinese, back-translated, culturally adapted and finally subjected to psychometric evaluation. A multi-stage stratified sampling method was used to select 2504 residents to test the reliability and validity of a questionnaire on health literacy. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to evaluate the validity of the results, and the back consistency was calculated by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The EFA revealed that health care, disease prevention and health promotion explained 78.68% of the total variance in health literacy. The scale and its subscales demonstrated strong internal consistency, with high Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0.947 to 0.983. CFA confirmed the three-factor model's goodness-of-fit for the Chinese population. The dimensions of healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion showed high convergent validity with an average variance extracted values ranging from 0.52 to 0.60 and composite reliability values ranging from 0.94 to 0.96. The reliable and valid Chinese version of the HLS-EU-Q47 (HLS19-Q47-CN) developed and evaluated in this study is an important tool for assessing health literacy levels in the Chinese population. Furthermore, as this tool has global applicability, it has the potential to assess health literacy levels across different countries, enabling practical international comparisons.

Psychometric evaluation of the Persian version of the European Health Literacy Instrument (P-HLS-EU-Q47).

Health literacy is one of the most critical determinants of health for effectively improving health services and reducing health inequalities. The importance of accurate measurement cannot be overstated. The European 47-item Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) can provide precise measurements of health literacy. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the European Health Literacy Instrument in Iranian society (HLS-PV-Q47) for its Persian version. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenient sampling of 560 people referred to comprehensive healthcare centers. The construct validity was assessed by exploratory (280 people) and confirmatory factor (with 280 people). The internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Based on the exploratory factor analysis, three factors of healthcare, disease prevention, and health promotion explained 48.9% of the total variance of health literacy. Cronbach's alpha was 0.96 for the whole instrument. The Persian version of the European Health Literacy Instrument (P-HLS-EU-Q47) had good validity and reliability, which can be used in future studies due to its good psychometric properties.

Establishing the HLS-M-Q18 short version of the European health literacy survey questionnaire for the Malaysian context.

BACKGROUND: The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) is becoming a widely used tool to measure health literacy (HL), including in Malaysia. There are efforts to reduce the 47-item scale to parsimonious short item scales that still reflect the assumptions and requirements of the conceptual model. This study used confirmatory factor analysis to reduce the 47-item scale to a short scale that can offer a feasible HL screening tool with sufficient psychometric properties. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on the Malaysian population based on ethnic distribution to ensure that the short version instrument reflects the country's varied ethnicities. The survey was administered by well-trained interviewers working for the Ministry of Health Malaysia. A total of 866 responses were obtained. Data was analysed using multi-factorial confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with categorical variables. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in a satisfactory 18-item model. There were high correlations among the 18 items. The internal consistency reliability was robust, with no floor/ceiling effects. These results represented equivalence and consistency among the responses to items, suggesting that these items were homogenous in measuring Malaysian health literacy. The strong convergent and discriminant validity of the model makes the proposed 18 items a suitable short version of the health literacy instrument for Malaysia. CONCLUSIONS: The researchers propose the 18-item instrument to be named HLS-M-Q18. This short version instrument may be used in measuring health literacy in Malaysia as it achieved robust reliability, structural validity and construct validity that fulfilled goodness-of-fit criteria.

Establishing the HLS-Q12 short version of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire: latent trait analyses applying Rasch modelling and confirmatory factor analysis.

BACKGROUND: The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) is widely used in assessing health literacy (HL). There has been some controversy whether the comprehensive HLS-EU-Q47 data, reflecting a conceptual model of four cognitive domains across three health domains (i.e. 12 subscales), fit unidimensional Rasch models. Still, the HLS-EU-Q47 raw score is commonly interpreted as a sufficient statistic. Combining Rasch modelling and confirmatory factor analysis, we reduced the 47 item scale to a parsimonious 12 item scale that meets the assumptions and requirements of objective measurement while offering a clinically feasible HL screening tool. This paper aims at (1) evaluating the psychometric properties of the HLS-EU-Q47 and associated short versions in a large Norwegian sample, and (2) establishing a short version (HLS-Q12) with sufficient psychometric properties. METHODS: Using computer-assisted telephone interviews during November 2014, data were collected from 900 randomly sampled individuals aged 16 and over. The data were analysed using the partial credit parameterization of the unidimensional polytomous Rasch model (PRM) and the 'between-item' multidimensional PRM, and by using one-factorial and multi-factorial confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with categorical variables. RESULTS: Using likelihood-ratio tests to compare data-model fit for nested models, we found that the observed HLS-EU-Q47 data were more likely under a 12-dimensional Rasch model than under a three- or a one-dimensional Rasch model. Several of the 12 theoretically defined subscales suffered from low reliability owing to few items. Excluding poorly discriminating items, items displaying differential item functioning and redundant items violating the assumption of local independency, a parsimonious 12-item HLS-Q12 scale is suggested. The HLS-Q12 displayed acceptable fit to the unidimensional Rasch model and achieved acceptable goodness-of-fit indexes using CFA. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike the HLS-EU-Q47 data, the parsimonious 12-item version (HLS-Q12) meets the assumptions and the requirements of objective measurement while offering clinically feasible screening without applying advanced psychometric methods on site. To avoid invalid measures of HL using the HLS-EU-Q47, we suggest using the HLS-Q12. Valid measures are particularly important in studies aiming to explain the variance in the latent trait HL, and explore the relation between HL and health outcomes with the purpose of informing policy makers.

Measuring health literacy in Asia: Validation of the HLS-EU-Q47 survey tool in six Asian countries.

BACKGROUND: Health literacy has been increasingly recognized as one of the most important social determinants for health. However, an appropriate and comprehensive assessment tool is not available in many Asian countries. This study validates a comprehensive health literacy survey tool European health literacy questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) for the general public in several Asian countries. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey based on multistage random sampling in the target countries. A total of 10,024 participants aged ≥15 years were recruited during 2013-2014 in Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The questionnaire was translated into local languages to measure general health literacy and its three domains. To evaluate the validity of the tool in these countries, data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency analysis, and regression analysis. RESULTS: The questionnaire was shown to have good construct validity, satisfactory goodness-of-fit of the data to the hypothetical model in three health literacy domains, high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.90), satisfactory item-scale convergent validity (item-scale correlation ≥0.40), and no floor/ceiling effects in these countries. General health literacy index score was significantly associated with level of education (P from <0.001 to 0.011) and perceived social status (P from <0.001 to 0.016), with evidence of known-group validity. CONCLUSIONS: The HLS-EU-Q47 was a satisfactory and comprehensive health literacy survey tool for use in Asia.

Validating the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire in people with type 2 diabetes: Latent trait analyses applying multidimensional Rasch modelling and confirmatory factor analysis.

AIM: To validate the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. BACKGROUND: The HLS-EU-Q47 latent variable is outlined in a framework with four cognitive domains integrated in three health domains, implying 12 theoretically defined subscales. Valid and reliable health literacy measurers are crucial to effectively adapt health communication and education to individuals and groups of patients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study applying confirmatory latent trait analyses. METHODS: Using a paper-and-pencil self-administered approach, 388 adults responded in March 2015. The data were analysed using the Rasch methodology and confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: Response violation (response dependency) and trait violation (multidimensionality) of local independence were identified. Fitting the "multidimensional random coefficients multinomial logit" model, 1-, 3- and 12-dimensional Rasch models were applied and compared. Poor model fit and differential item functioning were present in some items, and several subscales suffered from poor targeting and low reliability. Despite multidimensional data, we did not observe any unordered response categories. CONCLUSION: Interpreting the domains as distinct but related latent dimensions, the data fit a 12-dimensional Rasch model and a 12-factor confirmatory factor model best. Therefore, the analyses did not support the estimation of one overall "health literacy score." To support the plausibility of claims based on the HLS-EU score(s), we suggest: removing the health care aspect to reduce the magnitude of multidimensionality; rejecting redundant items to avoid response dependency; adding "harder" items and applying a six-point rating scale to improve subscale targeting and reliability; and revising items to improve model fit and avoid bias owing to person factors.

Evaluation of Parents' Use of a Child Health Care Information App and Their Health Literacy: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Recently, digital media, including internet websites and smartphone apps, have become popular resources for parents in searching for child health care information. Higher health literacy among parents in obtaining adequate health care information and making proper decisions may lead to improved child health outcomes and a reduction in the burden on health care professionals. However, few studies have examined the association between the provision of child health care information apps and parents' health literacy. Objective: This study aims to evaluate whether parents' use of an app that provides child health care information is associated with their health care knowledge, their health literacy, and emergency room visits for their children. Methods: Participants were recruited during checkups for their 1.5-year-old children at health centers within Saku City in 2022. Parents who agreed to participate were included in this study; individuals were excluded if they were not the mother or father of the child or did not have a smartphone. Participants were asked if they had used the Oshiete-Doctor app, which was distributed by Saku City free of charge to improve the home nursing skills of parents and guardians. Sociodemographic data of parents and children, data on health care knowledge about children, data on the frequency of emergency room visits in the past 6 months, and health literacy scores (HLSs) of parents (measured with the HLS-EU-Q47 [European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire]) were collected from participants in this cross-sectional survey. Univariable and multivariable analyses were conducted to examine the associations of app use with health care knowledge, health literacy, and emergency room visits. Results: In total, 251 respondents completed the survey (response rate: 251/267, 94%). Although the proportion of health care workers was significantly higher among app users than among non-app users (P=.005), no other participant attributes were significantly associated with the use of the app. The proportions of participants with higher health care knowledge and participants with higher total HLSs were significantly higher among app users than among non-app users (P=.001 and P=.003, respectively). After adjusting for potentially confounding covariates, these proportions were still significantly higher among app users than among non-app users (P=.02 and P=.007, respectively). Emergency room visits were significantly more frequent among app users than among non-app users (P=.007) in the univariable analysis, but the association was not significant (P=.07) after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Conclusions: This study showed a significant association between parents' use of a child health care information app and higher child health care knowledge and health literacy. The use of the app may lead to more appropriate health decisions and behaviors in children's health care. Future studies are needed to evaluate the association between app use and emergency room visits.

A Descriptive Evaluation of Health Literacy and Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance among Patients with IgA Nephropathy with High Vaccine Uptake.

Aims: Shared decision-making regarding COVID-19 vaccination in IgA nephropathy involves the ability to handle health information regarding potential benefits and risk of flare, but few studies have evaluated health literacy in the context of vaccination. We aimed to evaluate the health literacy and COVID-19 vaccination uptake and acceptance in IgA nephropathy. Methods: Single-center cross-sectional study of 126 consecutive patients with IgA nephropathy. Health literacy was assessed using the HLS-EU-47 questionnaire. Determinants of vaccine acceptance such as contextual influences, individual and group influences, and vaccine-specific issues were adapted from the World Health Organization framework. Results: Forty-eight patients (38.1%) with IgAN nephropathy completed the survey between June and August 2021. The participants' median age was 40.5 (31.6, 52.8) years with median disease duration of 2.8 (1.3, 4.3) years. The median general health literacy index was 31.74 (29.88, 35.82) with significantly greater difficulty in the competency of appraising health information and in the domain of disease prevention (p < 0.001). Forty-five patients (93.8%) received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine between January and August 2021. Among the 3 unvaccinated patients, 2 intended to receive the vaccination while and 1 did not intend to get vaccinated. There was a high level of trust and belief that their government and healthcare providers had their best interests at heart and that the healthcare providers were honest about the vaccine's risk and benefits, although 31.2% did not understand how the vaccine works and 22.9% believed that there were other ways to prevent infection. Most thought there was adequate safety information, were confident in the system for tracking adverse events and had no issues with access to the vaccine. Conclusion: Participants with IgA nephropathy had high health literacy scores and low vaccine hesitancy. The determinants for vaccine acceptance can potentially guide efforts to optimize vaccination coverage.

The relationship between CPAP and health literacy: A prospective observational study.

Background: We aimed to assess differences in health literacy between those who improved CPAP non-adherent and those who remained non-adherent. Methods: We included patients newly diagnosed with sleep apnea syndrome who had started CPAP therapy between February 2019 and October 2020 with ≥6 follow-up months or who self-interrupted CPAP therapy <6 months. We recorded the CPAP wearing time after 3 and 6 months. Patients were divided into the CPAP adherent (using CPAP for ≥4 h per night) and non-adherent (self-interrupted CPAP therapy/using CPAP for <4 h per night) groups. We compared the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire 47 (HLS-EU-Q47) score between those who were CPAP non-adherent after 3 months and become CPAP adherent after 6 months, and those who remained non-adherent after 6 months. Results: At 3 months, 34 patients were CPAP non-adherent. After 6 months, there were 7 and 27 patients in the CPAP adherent and non-adherent groups, respectively. There was a significant difference in the HLS-EU-Q47 score between the patients who became adherent to CPAP and who remained non-adherent after 6 months. Conclusion: Previously non-adherent patients who subsequently became adherent tended to have higher health literacy.

Health Literacy in Glomerulonephritis and Renal Vasculitis Attending Nephrology Clinics.

Aims: Glomerulonephritis is one of the leading causes of progressive chronic kidney disease worldwide and treatment requires shared decision-making to improve self-care and plan immunosuppressant therapy. However, information on health literacy (HL) in patients with glomerulonephritis is scanty. We aimed to assess HL in our multiethnic population with glomerulonephritis. Methods: Single-center cross-sectional study of patients with glomerulonephritis receiving induction immunosuppressants at the ambulatory nephrology clinic and who completed the anonymized self-administered HLS-EU-47 questionnaire. The standardized HL index and domain item mean scores were compared with participant sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Among 65 patients who attend the clinics over a month, 27 agreed to participate in the survey. After excluding responses with significant missing information, we included 23 participants (16 Chinese, 4 Malay, 2 Indian, and 1 other ethnicity) in the analysis. The median age was 39 (interquartile range 27, 60 years). The median general HL index was 26.2 (19.8, 29.8). The item mean scores were 2.64 (2.43, 2.77), 2.45 (2.09, 2.72), 2.33 (2.17, 2.58), and 2.50 (2.25, 2.75) for the domains of accessing, understanding, appraising, and applying health-care-related information, respectively. Male patients had significantly higher HL indices and higher scores for accessing and appraising health information, while higher personal income was significantly associated with higher score for applying health knowledge. Conclusion: Patients with glomerulonephritis had lowest HL in the domain of appraising health information. Further research on targeted interventions to improve the HL in appraising treatment options and vaccinations in patients with glomerulonephritis is required.

Exploring Health Literacy in Individuals with Alcohol Addiction: A Mixed Methods Clinical Study.

This mixed methods research paper explores health literacy (HL) in individuals with alcohol addiction by using the 47-item version of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) and semi-structured interviews concerning health-related competencies (access, understand, appraise, and apply health information), and determines the limitations of the HLS-EU-Q47 when used under specific conditions of clinical practice. The questionnaire survey and the interviews were conducted with individuals of different health literacy levels who were undergoing inpatient alcohol addiction treatment. The findings indicate that individuals with alcohol addiction might require different types of health information according to their health literacy level in terms of quantity and quality of information to recover from alcohol addiction and improve their overall health. The implications for the clinical practice of addiction treatment as well as recommendations for national and regional policy are also discussed.

Developing an Indonesia's health literacy short-form survey questionnaire (HLS-EU-SQ10-IDN) using the feature selection and genetic algorithm.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Measuring health literacy becomes more important because its association with health status and healthcare outcomes. Studies have developed at least 133 measurement tools for health literacy. HLS-EU-Q47 is a questionnaire consisting of 12 sub-dimensions and 47 questions developed by the Europe Health Literacy Consortium. Many countries in Europe and Asia have used HLS-EU-Q47 as a tool for measuring health literacy in the general public. Indonesia has conducted general health literacy survey using HLS-EU-Q47 but finding the difficulties because of the time-consuming interview. A shorter version of HLS-EU-Q47 is needed to apply in health literacy researches in Indonesia. This paper reports the results of feature reduction to develop a short Indonesian version HLS-EU questionnaire and measures the accuracy of the model compared with other short form like HLS-EU-SQ16 or HLS-SF12. METHOD: The analysis was performed on a population-based dataset from Indonesia-Semarang Health Literacy Survey for which there were specific target variables as the classification of health literacy level. All attributes were assessed as potential targets in the models derived from the full dataset and its subsets. The feature selection methods with genetic algorithm were used as the filter as well as validation (cross validation) and classification (k-NN:k-nearest neighbor). The predictive accuracy of health literacy level and the complexity of models based on the reduced datasets were compared among the methods and other short versions such as HLS-EU-SQ16, HLS-SF12. RESULT: The accuracy of the existing short form models were 90.64% with the HLS-EU-SQ16 and 88.67% with the HLS-SF12. This study proposed a model with 10 features as the construct of a short Indonesian-version (proposed as the HLS-EU-SQ10-IDN) since the model was with higher accuracy than the HLS-SF12, but fewer features for measuring general health literacy index. Moreover, the short version only completed part of 12 dimensions of the full questionnare. CONCLUSION: A data mining technique using feature selection with combination of genetic algorithm and k-NN algorithm was applied to develop a short version questionnaire and proved to have better accuracy, as compared with the short version developed by traditional statistical technique.

Health Literacy and Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery.

BACKGROUND: There are many factors that affect weight loss after bariatric surgery. The present study evaluated the impact of health literacy on weight loss after bariatric surgery in morbidly obese patients. METHODS: The data of 118 patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for morbid obesity (body mass index-BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) and completed a 1-year follow-up period were recorded and evaluated, prospectively. The Turkish version of the 47-item European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) was used to evaluate the health literacy of these patients. Their demographic characteristics, preoperative and postoperative weight (at 6 and 12 months), BMI, the percentage of excess weight loss (% EWL), excess BMI loss (% EBL) and total weight loss (%TWL), comorbidities, socioeconomic characteristics (marital status, income level, educational status, and duration), and HLS-EU-Q47 results were recorded and compared. RESULTS: A significant inverse relationship was identified between preoperative BMI and scores for health promotion health literacy and general health literacy indexes (p = 0.024 and p = 0.032, respectively). A significant positive relationship was noted between % EWL and % EBL at 6 and 12 months, and health promotion health literacy index scores (6 months: p = 0.004, p = 0.006; 12 months: p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). A similar significant positive relationship was recorded between the % EWL and % EBL at 12 months and the health care health literacy index scores (p = 0.042 and p = 0.036, respectively). There was also a significant positive relationship between general health literacy index scores and % EWL and % EBL at 12 months (p = 0.022 and p = 0.021, respectively). % EWL at 12 months increased by 0.39, with a 1-point increase in health promotion and health literacy index scores. CONCLUSIONS: A high health literacy index score in morbidly obese patients is associated with successful weight loss after bariatric surgery.

Association of Health Literacy Levels Between Family Members.

Background: Health literacy (HL) is not solely an individual skill but a distributed resource available within individual's social networks. This study explored the associations between individual and family member HL using two separate self-report measures of HL: the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) and the Communicative and Critical Health Literacy scale (CCHL). Methods: A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with 501 pairs of Japanese residents aged 30 to 79 and their family members whom they most often consulted for help with health issues. HL was measured using HLS-EU-Q47 and CCHL. Results: The HL scores of individuals and their family members were positively correlated for both measures. The correlation was stronger for the HLS-EU-Q47, presumably because it measures the perceived manageability of health-related tasks that implicitly depend on the availability of support for an individual. In contrast, the CCHL measures a single individual's perceived abilities. Both individual and family member CCHL scores were independently related to individual HLS-EU-Q47 scores, particularly when an individual had a family member with a higher CCHL score than his/her own. Conclusions: Limited individual ability to achieve health-related tasks might be compensated for by the higher ability of other family members. In addressing problems with limited health literacy, future studies should focus not only on the individual but also on people who can provide an individual with support.

Effect of Health Literacy on Help-seeking Behavior in Morbidly Obese Patients Agreeing to Bariatric Surgery.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the effect of health literacy on agreement for bariatric surgery among morbidly obese patients. METHODS: The data of 242 morbidly obese patients (body mass index-BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) were evaluated in a cross-sectional case-control pattern. The patients were classified into two groups as those who were attending the clinic for the purpose of receiving bariatric surgery (n = 138) and those who did not (n = 104). The Turkish version of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47), consisting of 47 questions, was used for the health literacy evaluation. RESULTS: It was seen that patients who accepted bariatric surgery were younger and had higher weight and BMI values (p < 0.001). HLS-EU-Q47 index results were 33.33 (15.63-50) in the group who agreed to bariatric surgery and 26.04 (8.33:46.88) in the group who did not agree to bariatric surgery, and a statistically significant difference was determined between the two groups (p < 0.001). From the HLS-EU-Q47 questionnaire, an insufficient level (0-25) was found for 2.9% of the group who agreed to bariatric surgery and 45.2% of the group who did not (p < 0.001). The problematic-limited level was similar in the two groups (> 25-33) (respectively, 36.2%, 37.5%, p = 0.840). A sufficient level (> 33-42) and a perfect level were higher in the group who agreed to bariatric surgery (respectively, 42.8%, 18.1%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: There is a relationship between health literacy and acceptance of bariatric surgery in morbidly obese patients. The higher the health literacy level, the more the agreement to bariatric surgery increased.

A Survey on the Level and Related Factors of Health Literacy in Korean People / 보건행정학회지

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to measure the Korean health literacy level and to analyse its gaps according to the factors of socioeconomic and health status and health behaviors. Based on this, policy implications were reviewed to improve the understandability on health information and to reduce the gap among socioeconomic groups. METHODS: HLS-EU-Q47, a tool developed by the European Health Literacy Project, was used to conduct a face-to-face interview survey on the health literacy for the samples from general population. RESULTS: The public general health literacy (HL) index was 34.5 out of 50. HL is consisted of three sub-dimensions: healthcare (HC-HL), disease prevention (DP-HL), and health promotion (HP-HL). And a HL analysis found scores of 34.7 points for HC-HL, 35.4 points for DP-HL, and 33.3 points for HP-HL. The level of all HL was different according to socioeconomic characteristics and health behavior. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, more research activities on health-related literacy need to be conducted, and monitoring system on the HL level needs to be developed and implemented. In addition, a program to improve HL levels needs to be developed in order to strengthen the basis for a more sustainable healthcare system as an agenda with national health policy priority.