Examining the factorial structure and validity of the everyday health information literacy screening tool

Abstract

The term “health information literacy” denotes the set of abilities that enables individuals to search, retrieve, evaluate, and use health information to make adequate health decisions. Health information literacy is usually assessed by means of self-report questionnaires. The present paper examines the factorial structure and validity of a German version of the Everyday Health Information Literacy Screening tool (EHILS) in a sample of N = 100 university students. Internal consistency of the EHILS was low (Cronbach’s α = .54), corroborating that health information literacy is a heterogeneous construct. Exploratory as well as confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the EHILS represents two facets of health information literacy, namely confidence (or self-perceived ability) and motivation of individuals to deal with health information. Regarding validity, differential correlations of the overall EHILS scores as well as the subindices motivation and confidence with health literacy measures, domain-specific self-efficacy beliefs, generalized internal control beliefs, and health information searching experiences were found. It is concluded that ability and motivation components of everyday health information literacy should be assessed separately to understand individuals’ health information behavior.

Keywords

• health information literacy
• screening tests
• questionnaires
• test validity