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Psychometry of the reproductive health literacy scale for women of reproductive ages

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 NURSING AND MIDWIFERY FACULTY, ISFAHAN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, ISFAHAN, IRAN

2 Associate Professor, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

3 MSc. of midwifery, department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran

4 Assistant Professor, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

5 Associate Professor, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Internal and Surgical Nursing Department, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction:

Reproductive health is a key dimension of overall health, encompassing a wide range of topics such as fertility planning, prenatal and postnatal care, prevention and treatment of genital and sexually transmitted infections, abortion, cancer screening, infertility treatment, and related counseling services. Given the pivotal role of health literacy in improving health outcomes, the availability of valid assessment tools is essential. The present study aimed to psychometrically evaluate a scale for assessing reproductive health literacy among women of reproductive age.

Methods:

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The initial instrument used was the Japanese version of the Women's Reproductive Health Literacy Scale, which, following translation and confirmation of face and content validity (both qualitative and quantitative), was administered to 290 women of reproductive age for construct validation. Construct validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis, and the reliability of the instrument was evaluated through internal consistency. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Results:

Exploratory factor analysis led to the extraction of 27 items across five factors: “Comprehension and Application of Information,” “Self-care Knowledge,” “Evaluation of Information Credibility,” “Knowledge about Female Physiology,” and “Interactive Health Literacy.” These factors together explained 58.07% of the observed variance. The reliability of the scale was confirmed with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.92.

Conclusion:

Since the psychometrically validated reproductive health literacy scale in this study has desirable validity, reliability, and clarity, it can be used as a reliable scale to measure women's reproductive health literacy and to design and implement interventions based on their needs.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Health Information Management
Volume 21, Issue 4 - Serial Number 94
December 2024
Pages 220-227
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