Translation and validation for the portuguese language of an oral health literacy instrument

Abstract

Introduction: The quantification of health literacy’s level is fundamental in public health, since individuals with limited levels of health literacy have significant difficulties in communicating successfully in today's society. Objectives:  To translate and validate the Portuguese language version of Oral Health Literacy Instrument (OHLI) for the evaluation of oral health literacy in adults. Methods and Materials: The translation and validation of the Portuguese language version of OHLI was carried out in individuals aged over 19 years in the Lisbon region. Variables characterizing the sample and health literacy were analyzed. The total OHLI value was obtained by adding the dimensions of reading, comprehension and numeracy. The internal consistency was evaluated by Cronbach's ?, the validation of the construct was performed by the factorial analysis of questions of the same dimension and by the application of the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test. Results: Of the 81 interviewees, 76.5% were women. High values of internal consistency were obtained for both OHLI (0.8) and its dimensions (0.7). For the knowledge test, a value of 0.70 was obtained. The mean final value of OHLI was 81.21, with higher values observed in people with higher education (p <0.001). Conclusions: The Portuguese language version of OHLI (P-OHLI) is a reliable and valid instrument and can be applied in Portuguese-speaking adults, with the necessary cultural adaptations, to evaluate oral health literacy.