Psychometric evaluation of health literacy for adults (HELIA) in urban area of Balochistan

The Health Literacy for Adults (HELIA) is a measure for health literacy and consists of 33 items covering 5 factors. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the instrument for urban population of Balochistan, Iran.
This was a cross-sectional study among adult populations of Balochistan. Four hundered adults were selected by cluster sampling. The questionnaire was completed by participants. Psychometric properties of the instrument were assessed performing Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and internal consistency.
The analysis of data showed that the Health Literacy for Adults (HELIA) had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.78 to 0.90). The CFA supported the five factor structure for the HELIA.
The findings suggest that the Health Literacy for Adults (HELIA) is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring health literacy in urban population of Balochistan, Iran.