Validity and reliability of the Musicians' Health Literacy Questionnaire, MHL-Q19

Area of Science:

• Music Performance Health
• Health Literacy Assessment
• Musculoskeletal Health

Background:

• Musicians face a high prevalence of physical and mental performance-related health issues (PRHI).
• Existing health promotion strategies have not significantly reduced PRHI in post-secondary music students.
• A gap exists in understanding the relationship between musicians' PRHI and their health literacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of a new health literacy tool for musicians, the MHL-Q19.
• To examine the relationship between musicians' health literacy and their performance-related health issues.

Main Methods:

• A battery of questionnaires was administered to 549 post-secondary music students, including the MHL-Q19, HLS-EU-Q16, MPIIQM, RAND-12, and GSE.
• Test-retest reliability was assessed with 328 participants completing the MHL-Q19 again after two weeks.
• Hypotheses were formulated regarding correlations between the MHL-Q19 and other measures.

Main Results:

• The MHL-Q19 demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability.
• Three of the four hypotheses regarding correlations were supported, though correlation strengths varied.
• Lower health literacy scores showed a weak relationship with higher pain intensity and interference.

Conclusions:

• Musicians' health literacy is a distinct construct that requires specialized assessment tools like the MHL-Q19.
• The MHL-Q19 shows positive and promising initial evidence for its use in evaluating musicians' health literacy.
• Further research is needed to refine the MHL-Q19 for comprehensive assessment and intervention.