COVID-19 Health Literacy Scale Development

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a COVID-19 Health Literacy (HL) scale. Material and Methods: Data were obtained from three samples of medical students (n=628) having different demographic characteristics in different regions of Turkey. A pilot study was conducted to assess language validity. Several psychometric tests were conducted to assess the tools’ reliability and validity. Results: A .963 Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value was obtained, in addition to a 72.26% variance score. The scale also demonstrated reliability values (internal consistency; α=.94). Two dimensions consisting of 20 items were identified to represent and the COVID-19 HL. Conclusion: The COVID-19 HL scale demonstrated robust psychometric properties. It was also deemed to be reliable and valid in assessing health literacy of COVID-19 among the medical students and will also be useful in increasing COVID-19 awareness among individuals.