Developing a questionnaire to evaluate the health information literacy in China

Xuan Yu; Meng Luo; Shouyuan Wu; Juanjuan Zhang; Qiangqiang Guo; Xiaohui Wang; Youzhong Tian; Zhizhong Zhang; Yaolong Chen; Jianqiang Wen

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1068648

Developing a questionnaire to evaluate the health information literacy in China

Front Public Health. 2023 Jun 16:11:1068648. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1068648. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Xuan Yu^#¹, Meng Luo^#², Shouyuan Wu², Juanjuan Zhang², Qiangqiang Guo², Xiaohui Wang², Youzhong Tian³, Zhizhong Zhang⁴, Yaolong Chen^{1

5

6}, Jianqiang Wen⁷

Affiliations

¹ Evidence-Based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
² School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
³ Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiuquan, Gansu, China.
⁴ Health Propaganda and Education Center of Gansu, Lanzhou, China.
⁵ Research Unit of Evidence-Based Evaluation and Guidelines, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU017), School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
⁶ WHO Collaborating Centre for Guideline Implementation and Knowledge Translation, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
⁷ Gansu Provincial Centre for Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Introduction: Health information literacy is critical for individuals to obtain, understand, screen, and apply health information. However, there is currently no specific tool available to evaluate all four dimensions of health information literacy in China. Public health emergencies can present an opportunity to evaluate and monitor the health information literacy level of residents. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a questionnaire to evaluate the level of health information literacy and to measure the reliability and validity.

Methods: The development process of the questionnaire consisted of the determination of questionnaire items, expert consultation, and validation. Based on the National Residents Health Literacy Monitoring Questionnaire (2020) and the 2019 Informed Health Choices key concepts, the researchers drafted the questionnaire, including all four dimensions of health information literacy. Experts in relevant fields were invited to evaluate the draft questionnaire, and revisions were made accordingly. Finally, the reliability and validity of the finalized version were examined in Gansu Province, China.

Results: The research team preliminarily formulated 14 items encompassing the four dimensions of health information literacy. After consulting with 28 experts, modifications were made. A convenience sample of 185 Chinese residents was invited to participate. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.715 and McDonald's omega was 0.739 for internal consistency, and the test-retest intra-class correlation coefficient after 4 weeks was 0.906, indicating that the questionnaire content and measurement structure was relatively stable.

Conclusion: This questionnaire is the first evidence-based assessment tool developed for monitoring health information literacy in China, and it has shown good reliability and validity. It can help to monitor the health information literacy levels of Chinese residents, promote evidence-based decision-making, and guide interventions to improve health information literacy.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; evidence-based; health information literacy; questionnaire development; reliability and validity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

China
Health Literacy*
Health Status
Humans
Reproducibility of Results
Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

This project was funded by the Gansu Province Scientific Research Management Project of Health Industry (GSWSKY2020-57). The funder was not interference in the design of the study, any aspect of data collection, analysis or interpretation, or in the writing and publication of the output.