THAI VERSION OF HIV HEALTH LITERACY TEST FOR PEOPLE WITH HIV

Health literacy is an individual's ability to understand medical information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. A Thai version of a HIV Health Literacy Test (HIV-HLT) for people living with HIV was developed using a 17-item scale from a literature review. Principal components analysis was performed to assess scale construct validity and reliability. The Thai version of HIV-HLT was tested on 400 people with HIV, 18-64 years of age (42 +/- 12 years), 31% having graduated with a bachelor's degree. Forty-nine percent of participants were diagnosed with HIV for >= 5 years, 87% had CD4 counts >200 cells/cm(3) and 86% had a viral load <20 copies/ml. All 17 items reached a high Cronbach's alpha index (0.81) and were subjected to a principal components analysis, revealing nine items appropriate for HIV knowledge subscale and eight for adherence to antiretroviral therapy subscale. Inadequate HIV health literacy was observed among the study participants. The study indicates the Thai version of HIV-HLT was valid and reliable for assessment of health literacy among people with HIV, was simple to be applied in a clinical setting to identify patients with limited health literacy and to develop a care plan appropriate for these patients.