Table 2.
Data quality of the translated Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) in a Danish population (n = 481)
| Subscale/items | Obs (n = 481) | Missing [n (%)] | Median | Mean (SD) | Strongly disagree (%) | Disagree (%) | Agree (%) | Strongly agree (%) | *Difficulty level (%) (95 % CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Feeling understood and supported by healthcare providers | |||||||||
| I have at least one healthcare provider who knows me well … | 479 | 2 (0.4) | 3 | 2.79 (0.89) | 8.4 | 27.1 | 41.5 | 23.0 | 35.5 (31.3–39.9) |
| I have at least one healthcare provider I can discuss … | 478 | 3 (0.6) | 3 | 2.98 (0.75) | 4.0 | 16.7 | 56.3 | 23.0 | 20.7 (17.3–24.6) |
| I have the healthcare providers I need to help me work … | 480 | 1 (0.2) | 3 | 3.13 (0.61) | 1.0 | 9.8 | 64.0 | 25.2 | 10.8 (8.3–14.0) |
| I can rely on at least one healthcare provider … | 477 | 4 (0.8) | 3 | 3.08 (0.68) | 2.1 | 13.0 | 59.7 | 25.2 | 15.1 (12.1–18.6) |
| 3.00 (0.60) | 20.5 | ||||||||
| 2. Having sufficient information to manage my health | |||||||||
| I feel I have good information about health | 478 | 3 (0.6) | 3 | 3.15 (0.61) | 1.3 | 8.8 | 64.0 | 25.9 | 10.0 (7.6–13.1) |
| I have enough information to help me deal with my … | 478 | 3 (0.6) | 3 | 3.09 (0.68) | 2.3 | 11.9 | 60.5 | 25.3 | 14.2 (11.4–17.7) |
| I am sure I have all the information I need to manage … | 478 | 3 (0.6) | 3 | 3.01 (0.69) | 3.1 | 13.4 | 62.6 | 20.9 | 16.5 (13.5–20.1) |
| I have all the information I need to look after my health | 478 | 3 (0.6) | 3 | 2.98 (0.68) | 1.5 | 19.7 | 58.6 | 20.3 | 21.1 (17.7–25.0) |
| 3.06 (0.55) | 15.5 | ||||||||
| 3. Actively managing my health | |||||||||
| I spend quite a lot of time actively managing my health | 476 | 5 (1.1) | 3 | 2.72 (0.75) | 4.0 | 33.6 | 48.5 | 13.9 | 37.6 (33.3–42.1) |
| I make plans for what I need to do to be healthy | 476 | 5 (1.1) | 3 | 2.79 (0.79) | 5.0 | 28.8 | 48.1 | 18.1 | 33.8 (29.7–38.2) |
| Despite other things in my life, I make time to be healthy | 478 | 3 (0.6) | 3 | 2.62 (0.74) | 4.0 | 41.8 | 42.3 | 11.9 | 45.8 (41.4–50.3) |
| I set my own goals about health and fitness | 479 | 2 (0.4) | 3 | 3.00 (0.67) | 1.7 | 17.5 | 60.3 | 20.5 | 19.2 (15.9–23.0) |
| There are things that I do regularly to make myself more healthy | 480 | 1 (0.2) | 3 | 3.04 (0.68) | 2.3 | 14.0 | 60.8 | 22.9 | 16.3 (13.2–19.8) |
| 2.84 (0.55) | 30.5 | ||||||||
| 4. Social support for health | |||||||||
| I can get access to several people who understand and … | 478 | 3 (0.6) | 3 | 3.10 (0.67) | 1.7 | 12.8 | 59.4 | 26.2 | 14.4 (11.6–17.9) |
| When I feel ill, the people around me really understand … | 478 | 3 (0.6) | 3 | 2.90 (0.72) | 4.2 | 18.8 | 59.6 | 17.4 | 23.0 (19.4–27.0) |
| If I need help, I have plenty of people I rely on | 479 | 2 (0.4) | 3 | 3.17 (0.72) | 2.3 | 11.9 | 52.2 | 33.6 | 14.2 (11.3–17.6) |
| I have at least one person who can come to medical … | 479 | 2 (0.4) | 3 | 3.31 (0.66) | 2.3 | 4.4 | 53.2 | 40.1 | 6.7 (4.8–9.3) |
| I have strong support from family and friends | 480 | 1 (0.2) | 3 | 3.21 (0.65) | 1.5 | 8.5 | 57.3 | 32.7 | 10.0 (7.6–13.0) |
| 3.14 (0.52) | 13.7 | ||||||||
| 5. Appraisal of health information | |||||||||
| I compare health information from different sources | 479 | 2 (0.4) | 3 | 2.85 (0.75) | 5.2 | 21.5 | 56.6 | 16.7 | 26.7 (22.9–30.9) |
| When I see new information about health, I check up … | 477 | 4 (0.8) | 3 | 2.62 (0.80) | 6.7 | 38.4 | 41.5 | 13.4 | 45.1 (40.6–49.6) |
| I always compare health information from different sources … | 477 | 4 (0.8) | 3 | 2.69 (0.80) | 5.2 | 35.8 | 43.2 | 15.7 | 41.1 (36.7–45.6) |
| I know how to find out if the health information I receive is … | 476 | 5 (1.1) | 3 | 2.91 (0.75) | 4.2 | 21.0 | 54.8 | 20.0 | 25.2 (21.5–29.3) |
| I ask healthcare providers about the quality of the … | 479 | 2 (0.4) | 3 | 2.68 (0.79) | 6.1 | 34.2 | 45.5 | 14.2 | 40.3 (36.0–44.8) |
| 2.75 (0.56) | 35.7 | ||||||||
| Subscale/items | Obs (n = 481) | Missing n (%) | Median | Mean (SD) | Cannot do (%) | Very difficult (%) | Quite difficult (%) | Quite easy (%) | Very easy (%) | *Difficulty level (%) (95 % CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. Ability to actively engage with healthcare providers | ||||||||||
| Make sure that healthcare providers understand your … | 479 | 2 (0.4) | 4 | 3.79 (0.75) | 0.8 | 3.5 | 24.8 | 57.2 | 13.6 | 29.2 (25.3–33.5) |
| Feel able to discuss your health concerns with a … | 480 | 1 (0.2) | 4 | 4.11 (0.72) | 0.4 | 2.7 | 10.2 | 58.3 | 28.3 | 13.3 (10.6–16.7) |
| Have good discussions about your health with doctors | 479 | 2 (0.4) | 4 | 4.05 (0.81) | 1.0 | 3.5 | 13.2 | 53.7 | 28.6 | 17.7 (14.6–21.4) |
| Discuss things with healthcare providers until you understand … | 477 | 4 (0.8) | 4 | 3.98 (0.78) | 1.0 | 2.9 | 16.8 | 55.8 | 23.5 | 20.8 (17.3–24.6) |
| Ask healthcare providers questions to get the … | 477 | 4 (0.8) | 4 | 4.00 (0.74) | 0.6 | 2.3 | 16.4 | 57.7 | 23.1 | 19.3 (16.0–23.1) |
| 3.99 (0.59) | 20.1 | |||||||||
| 7. Navigating the healthcare system | ||||||||||
| Find the right healthcare | 479 | 2 (0.4) | 4 | 3.58 (0.86) | 3.3 | 5.8 | 29.0 | 52.6 | 9.2 | 38.2 (33.9–42.7) |
| Get to see the healthcare providers I need to | 478 | 3 (0.6) | 4 | 3.72 (0.85) | 1.0 | 7.3 | 25.9 | 49.8 | 15.9 | 34.3 (30.2–38.7) |
| Decide which healthcare provider you need to see … | 478 | 3 (0.6) | 4 | 3.87 (0.78) | 1.3 | 2.3 | 23.2 | 54.4 | 18.8 | 26.8 (23.0–30.9) |
| Make sure you find the right place to get the health … | 476 | 5 (1.1) | 4 | 3.80 (0.75) | 0.6 | 4.0 | 24.8 | 56.3 | 14.3 | 29.4 (25.5–33.7) |
| Find out what healthcare services you are entitled to … | 475 | 6 (1.3) | 4 | 3.47 (0.89) | 1.5 | 11.2 | 38.3 | 37.3 | 11.8 | 50.9 (46.4–55.4) |
| Work out what is the best care for you | 473 | 8 (1.7) | 4 | 3.69 (0.77) | 1.1 | 3.8 | 31.7 | 51.8 | 11.6 | 36.6 (32.3–41.0) |
| 3.69 (0.61) | 36.0 | |||||||||
| 8. Ability to find good health information | ||||||||||
| Find information about health problems | 479 | 2 (0.4) | 4 | 4.04 (0.70) | 1.0 | 1.5 | 11.9 | 63.9 | 21.7 | 14.4 (11.5–17.9) |
| Find health information from several different places | 477 | 4 (0.8) | 4 | 3.98 (0.81) | 1.9 | 2.7 | 14.0 | 58.3 | 23.1 | 18.7 (15.4–22.4) |
| Get information about health so you are up to date … | 477 | 4 (0.8) | 4 | 3.98 (0.71) | 1.7 | 1.3 | 12.8 | 66.2 | 18.0 | 15.7 (12.7–19.3) |
| Get health information in words you understand … | 475 | 6 (1.3) | 4 | 3.92 (0.75) | 0.8 | 3.8 | 16.0 | 60.8 | 18.5 | 20.6 (17.2–24.5) |
| Get health information by yourself | 477 | 4 (0.8) | 4 | 4.01 (0.77) | 1.9 | 2.3 | 10.9 | 62.5 | 22.4 | 15.1 (12.1–18.6) |
| 3.99 (0.61) | 16.9 | |||||||||
| 9. Understanding health information well enough to know what to do | ||||||||||
| Confidently fill medical forms in the correct way | 478 | 3 (0.6) | 4 | 3.93 (0.83) | 1.9 | 3.3 | 16.9 | 55.9 | 22,0 | 22.2 (18.7–26.1) |
| Accurately follow the instructions from healthcare providers | 477 | 4 (0.8) | 4 | 3.93 (0.64) | 0.4 | 1.0 | 18.7 | 65.2 | 14.7 | 20.1 (16.8–24.0) |
| Read and understand written health information | 476 | 5 (1.1) | 4 | 4.02 (0.74) | 0.8 | 2.3 | 14.1 | 59.2 | 23.5 | 17.2 (14.1–20.9) |
| Read and understand all the information on medication labels | 477 | 4 (0.8) | 4 | 3.81 (0.80) | 1.5 | 3.8 | 22.9 | 55.8 | 16.1 | 28.1 (24.2–32.3) |
| Understand what healthcare providers are asking you to do | 477 | 4 (0.8) | 4 | 4.08 (0.71) | 1.0 | 1.7 | 10.1 | 63.1 | 24.1 | 12.8 (10.1–16.1) |
| 3.95 (0.56) | 20.1 | |||||||||
* For scales with agree/disagree response options (scales 1–5), the ‘difficulty’ level was calculated as the proportion responding disagree and strongly disagree as against agree or strongly agree. For the competency scales (scales 6–9), difficulty was calculated as the proportion responding cannot do, very difficult or quite difficult as against quite easy and very easy