Assessment of psychometric properties of the Health Literacy Short-Form 12 among hypertensive patients from a barangay in Manila

Abstract

Background: Health literacy is important in the self-management of hypertension. It is, thus, necessary to assess the health literacy of hypertensive patients to identify health literacy gaps and make appropriate interventions. A prerequisite to health literacy assessment is an accurate and efficient measurement of health literacy.

Objective: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Filipino version of Health Literacy Short-Form 12 (HLS-SF12) among adult patients with hypertension.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 47 hypertensive patients from a selected barangay who were registered in the local health center. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis, Cronbach's alpha test, and Mann-Whitney U test.

Results: The acceptability was demonstrated by the absence of missing data, lack of significant floor and ceiling effects, and adequate distribution of scores. Cronbach's alpha was 0.78, and most corrected item-total correlations ranged from .31 to .58, which suggested satisfactory reliability. The pattern of interdomain correlations (r = .38-.69) and domain score-total score correlations (r = .76-.91) supported the construct validity of the instrument. Known-groups validity was also exhibited by the lower health literacy scores among those with primary education than those with secondary or tertiary education (median: 22.22 vs 29.17, p = 0.04).

Conclusion: Satisfying the set criteria, the Filipino version of HLS-SF12 is an acceptable, reliable, and valid instrument to measure the health literacy of adult hypertensive patients in a selected barangay in Manila.

Published online: October 11, 2021