scholarly journals 937Rasch analysis of the Health Literacy Questionnaire in the Understanding Multiple Sclerosis online course cohort

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barnabas Bessing ◽  
Cynthia A. Honan ◽  
Ingrid van der Mei ◽  
Bruce. B Taylor ◽  
Suzi B. Claflin

Abstract Background We have built a six-week free online course to improve multiple sclerosis (MS)-related knowledge, health literacy (HL), and resilience among members of the MS community and interested laypeople, entitled Understanding MS. To evaluate the effectiveness of the course, we require an appropriate tool to measure HL in this cohort. Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of the multidimensional Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) in a cohort of Understanding MS online course enrolees. Methods Participants who enrolled in the first two open enrolments of the Understanding MS online course completed the HLQ (n = 1182) in an online survey prior to beginning course materials. We used Rasch analysis to assess the measurement properties of the HLQ. Results The nine subscales of the HLQ each had a good fit with the Rasch model; they were unidimensional, had good internal consistency and reliability and no item bias or local dependency measurement gaps were identified for participants with low or high scores in each of the nine subscales, creating a ceiling effect, meaning that the HLQ cannot reliably measure change in HL over time for these participants. The HLQ is a reliable measurement tool to assess change in HL for people with low to moderate HL levels who have room to improve, which is our target group. Conclusion The HLQ is useful for assessing HL in this and similar cohorts, but the assessment of HL change should consider the limitations described above. Key messages The HLQ has excellent measurement properties and is appropriate for assessing HL

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Millicent Addai Boateng ◽  
Peter Agyei-Baffour ◽  
Sanne Angel ◽  
Ulrika Enemark

Abstract Background Patients’ competencies and resources to manage their own health, which is termed health literacy, is a necessity for better health outcomes. Thus, it is relevant to have a comprehensive health literacy measurement tool suitable for populations of interest. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) is a tool useful for health literacy assessment covering nine dimensions/scales of health literacy. The HLQ has been translated and validated in diverse contexts but has so far not been assessed in any country in sub-Saharan Africa. We sought to translate this tool into the most common language used in Ghana and assess its validity. Methods We carried out a cross-sectional study using the HLQ concurrently with an assessment of a malaria programme for caregivers with children under 5 years. The HLQ was translated using a systematic translation procedure. We analysed the psychometric properties of the HLQ based on data collected by face-to-face interview of 1234 caregivers. The analysis covered tests on difficulty level of scales, composite reliability, Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results Cognitive testing showed that some words were ambiguous, which led to minor rewording of the questionnaire. A nine-factor CFA model was fitted to the 44 question items with no cross-loadings or correlated residuals allowed. Given the very restricted nature of the model, the fit was quite satisfactory: χ2 DWLS (866 df) = 17,177.58, p < 0.000, CFI = 0.971, TLI = 0.969, RMSEA = 0.126 and SRMR = 0.107. Composite reliability and Cronbach’s alpha were > 0.65 for all scales except Cronbach’s alpha for scale 9, ‘Understanding health information well enough to know what to do’ (0.57). The mean differences between most demographic groups among health literacy scales were statistically significant. Conclusion The Akan-Twi version of HLQ proved relevant in our description of the health literacy levels among the caregivers in our study. This validated tool will be useful to conduct health literacy needs assessments to guide policies addressing such needs. Further work is needed to validate this tool for use in Ghana and similar contexts.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Millicent Addai Boateng ◽  
Sanne Angel ◽  
Peter Agyei-Baffour ◽  
Ulrika Enemark

Abstract Background In under-resourced settings, patient competences to manage their own health is sometimes a necessity and high health literacy is needed to obtain a good health outcome. Thus, it is relevant to have a comprehensive measurement tool suitable for populations in such settings. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) is a tool useful for health literacy assessment covering nine dimensions/scales of health literacy. The HLQ has been translated and validated in diverse contexts but has so far not been assessed in any country in sub-Saharan Africa. We sought to translate this tool into the most common language used in Ghana and assess its validity. Methods We carried out a cross-sectional study using the HLQ concurrently with an assessment of a malaria programme for caregivers with children under five years. The HLQ was translated using a systematic translation procedure. We analysed the psychometric properties of the HLQ based on data collected by face-to-face interview of 1234 caregivers. The analysis covered tests on difficulty level of scales, composite reliability, Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results Cognitive testing showed that some words were ambiguous, which led to minor rewording of the questionnaire. A nine-factor CFA model was fitted to the 44 question items with no cross-loadings or correlated residuals allowed. Given the very restricted nature of the model, the fit was quite satisfactory: χ2 DWLS (866 df) = 17177.58, p < 0.000, CFI = 0.929, TLI = 0.922, RMSEA = 0.116 and SRMR = 0.099. Composite reliability and Cronbach’s alpha were >0.7 for all scales except Cronbach’s alpha for scale 9, ‘Understanding health information well enough to know what to do’ (0.6). The mean differences between most demographic groups among health literacy scales were statistically significant. Conclusion The Akan-Twi version of HLQ proved relevant in our description of the health literacy levels among the caregivers in our study. This validated tool will be useful to conduct health literacy needs assessments to guide policies addressing such needs. Further work is needed to assess its psychometric properties among other population groups.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Millicent Addai Boateng ◽  
Peter Agyei-Baffour ◽  
Sanne Angel ◽  
Ulrika Enemark

Abstract BackgroundPatients’ competencies to manage their own health, which is termed health literacy, is a necessity for better health outcomes. Thus, it is relevant to have a comprehensive health literacy measurement tool suitable for populations of interest. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) is a tool useful for health literacy assessment covering nine dimensions/scales of health literacy. The HLQ has been translated and validated in diverse contexts but has so far not been assessed in any country in sub-Saharan Africa. We sought to translate this tool into the most common language used in Ghana and assess its validity.Methods:We carried out a cross-sectional study using the HLQ concurrently with an assessment of a malaria programme for caregivers with children under five years. The HLQ was translated using a systematic translation procedure. We analysed the psychometric properties of the HLQ based on data collected by face-to-face interview of 1234 caregivers. The analysis covered tests on difficulty level of scales, composite reliability, Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).Results:Cognitive testing showed that some words were ambiguous, which led to minor rewording of the questionnaire. A nine-factor CFA model was fitted to the 44 question items with no cross-loadings or correlated residuals allowed. Given the very restricted nature of the model, the fit was quite satisfactory: χ2 DWLS (866 df) = 17177.58, p < 0.000, CFI = 0.971, TLI = 0.969, RMSEA = 0.126 and SRMR = 0.107. Composite reliability and Cronbach’s alpha were >0.65 for all scales except Cronbach’s alpha for scale 9, ‘Understanding health information well enough to know what to do’ (0.57). The mean differences between most demographic groups among health literacy scales were statistically significant.Conclusion:The Akan-Twi version of HLQ proved relevant in our description of the health literacy levels among the caregivers in our study. This validated tool will be useful to conduct health literacy needs assessments to guide policies addressing such needs. Further work is needed to validate this tool for use in Ghana and similar contexts.


Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (45) ◽  
pp. e23182
Author(s):  
Chieh-Liang Wu ◽  
Chia-Hua Liou ◽  
Shih-An Liu ◽  
Wayne H-H. Sheu ◽  
Shang-Feng Tsai

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Millicent Addai Boateng ◽  
Sanne Angel ◽  
Peter Agyei-Baffour ◽  
Ulrika Enemark

Abstract Background: Patients’ competencies and resources to manage their own health, which is termed health literacy, is a necessity for better health outcomes. Thus, it is relevant to have a comprehensive health literacy measurement tool suitable for populations of interest. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) is a tool useful for health literacy assessment covering nine dimensions/scales of health literacy. The HLQ has been translated and validated in diverse contexts but has so far not been assessed in any country in sub-Saharan Africa. We sought to translate this tool into the most common language used in Ghana and assess its validity. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study using the HLQ concurrently with an assessment of a malaria programme for caregivers with children under five years. The HLQ was translated using a systematic translation procedure. We analysed the psychometric properties of the HLQ based on data collected by face-to-face interview of 1234 caregivers. The analysis covered tests on difficulty level of scales, composite reliability, Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: Cognitive testing showed that some words were ambiguous, which led to minor rewording of the questionnaire. A nine-factor CFA model was fitted to the 44 question items with no cross-loadings or correlated residuals allowed. Given the very restricted nature of the model, the fit was quite satisfactory: χ2 DWLS (866 df) = 17177.58, p < 0.000, CFI = 0.971, TLI = 0.969, RMSEA = 0.126 and SRMR = 0.107. Composite reliability and Cronbach’s alpha were >0.65 for all scales except Cronbach’s alpha for scale 9, ‘Understanding health information well enough to know what to do’ (0.57). The mean differences between most demographic groups among health literacy scales were statistically significant. Conclusion: The Akan-Twi version of HLQ proved relevant in our description of the health literacy levels among the caregivers in our study. This validated tool will be useful to conduct health literacy needs assessments to guide policies addressing such needs. Further work is needed to validate this tool for use in Ghana and similar contexts.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wagida Abdel Rahman Anwar ◽  
Nayera S. Mostafa ◽  
Sally Adel Hakim ◽  
Dalia G. Sos ◽  
Dena A. Abozaid ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Health literacy is an important determinant of health. The aim of this study was to use a multi-dimensional measurement tool to describe the health literacy of people living in a fishing community in northern Egypt. Methods Data were collected from 436 people (fisherman and their families), using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) which includes 9 scales. Effect sizes (ES) for standardized mean differences estimated the magnitude of difference between demographic groups. Results The mean age of participants was 42 years, 50% were male, 42% were working in the fishing sector, 17.9% had access to the Internet and 36.8% were illiterate. Male participants showed higher capabilities in domains 3 and 4 (ES = 0.21 and 0.27, respectively). In comparison to other occupations, fishing occupation had a negative impact on domain 7 (ES -0.23). Also, higher educational level was associated with higher HLQ indicators. Across all scales, domain 2 showed the lowest mean (SD) score; 2.23 (0.76) indicating that most people reported they didn’t have enough information. Conclusions This study has revealed that fishermen and their families have a wide range of health literacy difficulties which are likely to have profound negative effects on health behavior and health outcomes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 677-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Wai Yu Chan ◽  
Adnan Kisa

Background. Despite the strong link between health literacy and cardiovascular health outcomes, health literacy measurements remain flawed and fragmented. There exists a gap in the knowledge when formulating a valid measurement to capture the broad concept of health literacy. The existence of various tools for health literacy measurement also hampers the availability of health literacy data. Additionally, little research is available on a valid measurement tool for cardiovascular health literacy. Objective. This study aims to provide an overview of the health literacy measurement tools used in the context of cardiovascular health. Method. A scoping review was conducted. Two electronic databases, Medline and Embase, were searched to identify studies that described a tool for the measurement of health literacy in the context of cardiovascular health. Results. After reviewing the available studies, 53 studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 26 health literacy measurement tools were identified in the studies. Among the 26 tools, 16 used an objective measurement approach, 9 adopted a subjective approach, and 1 employed a mixed approach. Additionally, 28 studies used tools to measure print literacy, 15 studies measured print literacy and numeracy, and 5 studies measured print literacy, oral literacy, and numeracy. Conclusions. STOFHLA, TOFHLA, and REALM were the mostly commonly used tools in the selected studies. The majority of tools were based heavily on reading skills and word recognition. Researchers should focus on the development of more comprehensive and reliable health literacy measurement tool(s) specific to cardiovascular health to assist health care providers to more efficiently and accurately identify people with cardiovascular problems who have inadequate health literacy.


2021 ◽  
pp. 135245852110053
Author(s):  
Emilio Portaccio ◽  
Mattia Fonderico ◽  
Bernhard Hemmer ◽  
Tobias Derfuss ◽  
Bruno Stankoff ◽  
...  

Background: The spread of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) poses unique challenges in the management of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Objectives: To collect data about the impact of COVID-19 emergency on access to care for PwMS and on MS treatment practices. Methods: Between March and July 2020, the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) promoted an online survey covering patient access to care, management of relapses and visits, disease-modifying therapy (DMT) and experience with COVID-19. Results: Three-hundred and sixty neurologists from 52 countries (68% from Europe) completed the survey. 98% reported COVID-19-related restrictions. Telemedicine was adopted to overcome the limited access to care and was newly activated (73%) or widely implemented (17%). 70% reported changes in DMT management. Interferons and glatiramer were considered safe. Dimethyl fumarate, teriflunomide and fingolimod were considered safe except for patients developing lymphopenia. No modifications were considered for natalizumab in 64%, cladribine in 24%, anti-CD20 in 22% and alemtuzumab in 17%; 18% (for alemtuzumab and cladribine) and 43% (for anti-CD20) considered postponing treatment. Conclusion: The ECTRIMS survey highlighted the challenges in keeping standards of care in clinical practice. Telemedicine clearly needs to be implemented. Gathering data on DMT safety will remain crucial to inform treatment decisions.


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