Integrating Social and Family Support as a Measure of Health Outcomes: Validity Implications from the Integrated Model of Health Literacy

Abstract

(1) Background: Health literacy (HL) is one of the key determinants of health and healthcare outcomes. The objectives of this study are to measure and validate Sørensen et al.’s integrated model of health literacy (IMHL) in a developing country’s youth population, as well as to assess the impact of family affluence and social and family support on healthcare domains. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out of undergraduate university students in 19 public and private sector universities in Pakistan during June–August 2022. A nine-factor measurement model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM) based on the 56 valid items obtained from three different validated scales, such as the family affluence scale (FAS-II), the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS), and the European Health Literacy Questionnaire (the HLS-EU-Q). (3) Results: The data were collected from 1590 participants with a mean age of 21.16 (±2.027) years. The model fit indices indicate that the model partially fitted the data: χ2 = 4.435, df = 1448, p = 0.000, RMSEA = 0.048, TLI = 0.906, CFI = 0.912, IFI = 0.912, GFI = 0.872, NFI = 0.889, RFI = 0.882, PGFI = 0.791. The structural equation model showed acceptable goodness of fit indices, indicating a significant direct influence of social and family support on healthcare and disease prevention. (4) Conclusions: Social and family support are the most influential factors, with regard to HL dimensions, in improving healthcare, disease prevention, and health promotion in low-income settings and among non-English-speaking communities.