Validation of the short version of Korean functional Health Literacy Test

Aim The aim of this study is to validate a short version of the Korean functional Health Literacy Test. Background Development of a brief and valid health literacy assessment tool, with an optimal cut-off value, is essential to identify individuals with low health literacy in the Korean-speaking population. Design This is a psychometric validation study of the instrument. Methods Item response analysis using 2-parameter logistic estimates was used for item reduction. The short form of the Korean functional Health Literacy Test was validated among 170 nursing students and 129 older adults in Korea. Data were collected from December 2015 to February 2016. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to classify health literacy level with the cut-off value. Results Item difficulty parameters of the short form of the Korean functional Health Literacy Test ranged from -1.33 to -0.35; item discrimination ranged from 1.91 to 4.47. Significant differences of the test score were shown between nursing students and older adults. The cut-off value of 6 out of 8 on the short form of the Korean functional Health Literacy Test showed a sensitivity of 0.79 and specificity of 0.65. Conclusion The short form of the Korean functional Health Literacy Test is a valid tool with sufficient diagnostic accuracy to assess health literacy in the Korean-speaking population.