<b>EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES: HEALTH LITERACY ASSESSMENT AMONGST AN INDIGENOUS AFRICAN POPULATION</b>

Abstract

<p dir="ltr">Tailored health dialogue empowers communities to partake in health decision-making, improving health outcomes. Regular health literacy screening may assist healthcare workers in tailoring health dialogue according to the health literacy levels of communities. It is problematic that health literacy does not receive the necessary attention in Africa, which is known to have a high illiteracy rate. The study presents the development, validation, and implementation of the Sesotho Health Literacy Test (SHLT). The Integrated Model of Health Literacy underpinned the development of the SHLT. The objectives related to the development of the test were structured according to the MEASURE approach. Validation followed a phased approach according to the generic methodology of Tsai and colleagues. The SHLT was implemented during a multi-center cross-sectional study of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (n=263) and patients with chronic conditions (n=264). The SHLT comprises ten items with good internal reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.77). Structural equation modeling showed an acceptable fit (SRMR=0.04) with good convergent and predictive validity. Patients with ESRD mostly presented with low (n = 34, 12.9%) and moderate (n = 130, 49.4%) health literacy levels, with patients with chronic conditions presenting with low (n=55, 20.8%), moderate (n=115; 43.6%) and high (n=94; 35.6%) health literacy levels. Health literacy assessment may sensitize healthcare workers to engage in tailored health dialogue, empowering communities to partake in their health care</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>