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

Abstract

AbstractHealth 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.