The Health Knowledge Inventory-Alpha: a personal health knowledge test for high school seniors

Area of Science:

• Health Education
• Psychometrics
• Educational Assessment

Background:

• General health knowledge is crucial for informed decision-making.
• Validated instruments are needed to accurately measure health literacy in adolescents.
• The Health Knowledge Inventory-Alpha (HKI-Alpha) is a general health knowledge test designed for this purpose.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Health Knowledge Inventory-Alpha (HKI-Alpha).
• To assess the HKI-Alpha's suitability for use with high school seniors.

Main Methods:

• The HKI-Alpha, comprising 110 multiple-choice items across 11 health areas, was administered twice to high school seniors one week apart.
• A secondary sample of college students also completed the test.
• Statistical analyses included test-retest reliability, internal consistency (KR20), and comparisons between student groups to assess validity.

Main Results:

• The HKI-Alpha demonstrated good test-retest reliability (.81) and internal consistency (.85).
• Descriptive analysis indicated the test effectively discriminated among individuals without significant ceiling or floor effects.
• College students scored significantly higher than high school students, supporting construct validity.

Conclusions:

• The HKI-Alpha is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring general health knowledge in high school populations.
• The test exhibits strong psychometric properties, including content, criterion-related, and construct validity.
• Findings support the use of HKI-Alpha in educational settings for assessing health literacy.