Designing a Psychometric Tool for Measuring Coronavirus Health Literacy of Iranian Adults in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, in 2020

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Health literacy generally refers to the ability of individuals to access health information and use it to make appropriate decisions in maintaining and promoting health. This study was the first attempt to design a psychometric tool for measuring the coronavirus health literacy for adults in Iran in 2021. Methods: The items related to the questionnaire were designed using the existing documents, articles, and questionnaires. The initial version of the questionnaire consisted of 30 items. Content validity and face validity of the introductory tool were evaluated by a group of experts and interviews with adults. After reviewing the content validity, the number of tool items was reduced to 22. Then, the reliability and structural analysis of the tool was evaluated by a descriptive-correlation study conducted on 400 respondents who were selected via sequential non-probability sampling from adults in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Iran. Results: In the exploratory factor analysis, 22 items were loaded in 4 factors, representing 59.31% of the observed changes. The Cronbach α coefficient was acceptable for each factor. The retest of the questionnaire at a two-week interval also confirmed the constancy of the questionnaire. The final questionnaire with 22 items in 4 areas of access, understanding, evaluation, and use of information and health services was approved as a valid and reliable tool. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed the competence of the mentioned tool to measure the coronavirus health literacy of adults in Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

Keywords

• health literacy
• coronavirus
• psychometric