Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Science Communicator Platform

Stay connected! Follow us on X network (Twitter):
Share this content! On (X network) By
Iranian Health Literacy Questionnaire (Ihlq): An Instrument for Measuring Health Literacy in Iran Publisher



Haghdoost AA1 ; Rakhshani F2 ; Aarabi M3 ; Montazeri A4 ; Tavousi M5 ; Solimanian A6 ; Sarbandi F6 ; Namdar H7 ; Iranpour A8
Authors
Show Affiliations
Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Research Center for Modeling in Health, Institute for Future Studies, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
  2. 2. School of Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
  4. 4. Mental Health Research Group, Health Metrics Research Center, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
  5. 5. Health Education and Promotion Research Group, Health Metrics Research Center, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
  6. 6. Health Education Office, Health Departments, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
  7. 7. Health Education Office, Health Affairs, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
  8. 8. Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health and Health Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Source: Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal Published:2015


Abstract

Background: Promoting Health Literacy (HL) is considered as an important goal in strategic plans of many countries. In spite of the necessity for access to valid, reliable and native HL instruments, the number of such instruments in the Persian language is scarce. Moreover, there is no good estimation of HL status in Iran. Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide a valid, reliable and native instrument to measure and monitor community HL in Iran and also, to provide an estimation of HL status in two Iranian provinces. Patients and Methods: By applying the multistage cluster sampling, 1080 respondents (540 from each gender) were recruited from Kerman and Mazandaran provinces of Iran, from February to June 2014 to participate in this cross-sectional study. The development of the Iranian Health Literacy Questionnaire (IHLQ) was initiated with a comprehensive review of the literature. Then, face, content and construct validity as well as reliability were determined. Results: Internal consistency and test-retest reliability (ICC) of the factors was in the range of 0.71 to 0.96 and 0.73 to 0.86, respectively. In order to construct validity, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) = 0.95 and Bartlett’s test result of 3.017 with P < 0.001) with varimax rotation was used. Optimal reduced solution, including 36 items and seven factors, was found in EFA. Five of the factors identified were reading/comprehension skills, individual empowerment, communication/decision-making skills, social empowerment and health knowledge. Conclusions: It was concluded that IHLQ might be a practical and useful tool for investigating HL for Persian language speakers around the world. Since HL is dynamic and its instruments should be regularly revised, further studies are recommended to assess HL with application of IHLQ to detect its potential imperfections. © 2015, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal.
Related Docs
1. Health Literacy Among Parents of Referral Children to Hamadan Hospital, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study, Journal of Health Literacy (2022)
2. Health Literacy Among Iranian Adults: Findings From a Nationwide Population-Based Survey in 2015; [Les Connaissances En Sante Chez Les Adultes Iraniens: Resultats D’Une Enquete En Population Nationale Menee En 2015], Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (2019)
3. Cognitive Factors Associated With Brucellosis Preventive Behaviours Among Diagnosed Patients: An Application of Empowerment Model; [Facteurs Cognitifs Associes Aux Comportements De Prevention De La Brucellose Chez Les Patients Diagnostiques: Application Du Modele D’Autonomisation], Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (2019)
4. Association of Health Literacy and Nutritional Literacy With Sun Exposure in Adults Using Structural Equation Modelling, BMC Public Health (2022)
5. Drug Adherence and Its Association With Health Literacy Among Patients With Autoimmune Bullous Diseases, Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology (2023)
Experts (# of related papers)
View all Related Experts
Maryam Daneshpajooh (1)
Ensiyeh Jamshidi (1)