Table 3.
Difficulty level of the translated Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) in a French population at risk for metabolic or cardiovascular disease.
| Subscale/item | N (n = 175) | Difficulty levela (%) (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 – Scales 1–5: How strongly you disagree or agree with the following statements (strongly disagree/disagree/agree/strongly agree) | ||
| 1. Feeling understood and supported by healthcare providers | ||
| I have at least one healthcare provider who … | 175 | 12.6 (8.1–18.4) |
| I have at least one healthcare provider I can … | 175 | 12.6 (8.1–18.4) |
| I have the healthcare providers I need … | 175 | 19.4 (13.9–26.1) |
| I can rely on at least one … | 175 | 13.1 (8.5–19.1) |
| 2. Having sufficient information to manage my health | ||
| I feel I have good information about health … | 175 | 22.9 (16.9–29.8) |
| I have enough information to help me deal … | 175 | 37.7 (30.5–45.3) |
| I am sure I have all the information I … | 175 | 50.9 (43.2–58.5) |
| I have all the information I need to … | 175 | 44.0 (36.5–51.7) |
| 3. Actively managing my health | ||
| I spend quite a lot of time actively managing … | 175 | 29.1 (22.5–36.5) |
| I make plans for what I need to do to be … | 175 | 14.3 (9.5–20.4) |
| Despite other things in my life, I make time … | 175 | 24.0 (17.9–31.2) |
| I set my own goals about health and fitness | 175 | 12.0 (7.6–17.8) |
| There are things that I do regularly … | 175 | 27.4 (21.0–34.7) |
| 4. Social support for health | ||
| I can get access to several people who … | 175 | 25.7 (19.4–32.9) |
| When I feel ill, the people around me really … | 175 | 45.1 (37.6–52.8) |
| If I need help, I have plenty of people I … | 175 | 29.1 (22.5–36.5) |
| I have at least one person … | 175 | 41.1 (33.8–48.8) |
| I have strong support from … | 175 | 33.7 (26.8–41.2) |
| 5. Appraisal of health information | ||
| I compare health information from different … | 175 | 21.7 (15.9–28.6) |
| When I see new information about health, I … | 175 | 25.7 (19.4–32.9) |
| I always compare health information … | 175 | 28.6 (22.0–35.9) |
| I know how to find out if the health … | 175 | 32.0 (25.2–39.5) |
| I ask healthcare providers about the quality … | 175 | 21.7 (15.9–28.6) |
| Subscale/item | Responders (n = 175) | Difficulty levelb (%) (95% CI) |
| Part 2 – Scales 6–9: How easy or difficult the following tasks are for you to do now (cannot do or always difficult/usually difficult/sometimes difficult/usually easy/always easy) | ||
| 6. Ability to actively engage with healthcare providers | ||
| Make sure that healthcare providers understand … | 175 | 60.6 (52.9–67.9) |
| Feel able to discuss your health concerns with a … | 175 | 41.1 (33.8–48.8) |
| Have good discussions about your health … | 175 | 44.6 (37.1–52.3) |
| Discuss things with healthcare providers … | 175 | 52.6 (44.9–60.2) |
| Ask healthcare providers questions to get … | 175 | 47.4 (39.8–55.1) |
| 7. Navigating the healthcare system | ||
| Find the right healthcare | 175 | 69.1 (61.7–75.9) |
| Get to see the healthcare providers you need to | 175 | 57.7 (50.0–65.1) |
| Decide which healthcare provider you need … | 175 | 52.6 (44.9–60.2) |
| Make sure you find the right place to get … | 175 | 62.9 (55.2–70.0) |
| Find out what healthcare services you are … | 175 | 60.6 (52.9–67.9) |
| Work out what is the best care for you | 175 | 66.9 (59.4–73.8) |
| 8. Ability to find good health information | ||
| Find information about health problems | 175 | 53.7 (46.0–61.3) |
| Find health information from several … | 175 | 50.3 (42.6–57.9) |
| Get information about health so you are … | 175 | 46.9 (39.3–54.5) |
| Get health information in words you … | 175 | 53.1 (45.5–60.7) |
| Get health information by yourself | 175 | 53.1 (45.5–60.7) |
| Subscale/item | Responders (n = 175) | Difficulty levelb (%) (95% CI) |
| 9. Understand health information well enough to know what to do | ||
| Confidently fill medical forms in the correct … | 174 | 39.7 (32.3–47.3) |
| Accurately follow the instructions from … | 175 | 50.3 (42.6–57.9) |
| Read and understand written health … | 175 | 48.0 (40.4–55.7) |
| Read and understand all the information on … | 175 | 37.1 (30.0–44.8) |
| Understand what healthcare providers are … | 175 | 32.0 (25.2–39.5) |
CI: confidence interval.
a
Difficulty level was calculated as the proportion responding disagree and strongly disagree as against agree or strongly agree.
b
Difficulty level was calculated as the proportion responding cannot do, very difficult or quite difficult as against quite easy and very easy.