Measuring Health Literacy Among Adults with HIV Infection in Mozambique: Development and Validation of the HIV Literacy Test.

ABSTRACT: The role of health literacy on HIV outcomes has not been evaluated widely in Africa, in part because few appropriate literacy measures exist. We developed a 16-item scale, the HIV Literacy Test (HIV-LT) to assess literacy-related tasks needed to participate in HIV care. Items were scored as correct or incorrect; higher scores indicated higher literacy skill (range 0-100 %). We tested internal reliability (Kuder-Richardson coefficient) of the HIV-LT in a convenience sample of 319 Portuguese-speaking, HIV infected adults on antiretroviral treatment in Maputo, Mozambique. Construct validity was assessed by a hypothetical model developed a priori. The HIV-LT was reliable and valid to measure participants' literacy skills. The mean HIV-LT score was 42 %; literacy skills applicable to HIV care w

SUBMITTER: Tique JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5306223 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature