Gerald R. Elsworth|Alison Beauchamp|Richard H. Osborne
Measuring health literacy in community agencies: a Bayesian study of the factor structure and measurement invariance of the health literacy questionnaire (HLQ)
Deakin University|Deakin University|Deakin University
development health literacy questionnaire hlq reported 2013 attracted widespread international interest original study samples drawn clinical homebased agedcare settings hlq designed full range healthcare contexts including communitybased health promotion support services report followup study psychometric properties hlq respondents diverse range communitybased organisations principal goal contributing development soundly validated evidence base use community health settings data provided 813 clients 8 community agencies victoria australia administered hlq needs assessment stage ophelia project health literacybased intervention analyses conducted using bayesian structural equation modelling enables rigorous analysis data relaxation restrictive requirements zero crossloadings residual correlations classical confirmatory factor analysis scale homogeneity investigated onefactor models allowed presence small item residual correlations discriminant validity studied using interfactor correlations factor loadings full 9factor model similar allowance small residual correlations crossloadings measurement invariance investigated scalebyscale using model required strict invariance item factor loadings thresholds residual variances covariances hlq scales found homogenous composite reliability ranging 080 089 factor structure hlq replicated 6 9 scales found exhibit clearcut discriminant validity small number exceptions involving noninvariance factor loadings strict measurement invariance established across participating organisations gender language background age educational level respondents hlq highly reliable even 4 6 items per scale provides unbiased mean estimates group differences across key demographic indicators measuring relatively narrow constructs 9 dimensions clearly separate therefore provide finegrained data multidimensional area health literacy analyses provide researchers program managers policymakers range robust evidence make judgements appropriate use hlq communitybased setting