Psychometric Testing of HeLD-14 in a Colombian Geriatric Population

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences
• Dental Public Health
• Gerontology

Background:

• Oral health literacy is crucial for older adults' well-being.
• Existing instruments may not be culturally adapted for diverse populations.
• The Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD-14) scale requires validation for specific demographic groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate and validate the Health Literacy in Dentistry (HeLD-14) scale for use in Colombia.
• To assess the reliability and validity of the Colombian version (HeLD-Col) in older adults.
• To establish HeLD-Col as a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring oral health literacy.

Main Methods:

• A cross-cultural adaptation and translation of the HeLD-14 was performed.
• Psychometric properties were evaluated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA and CFA) in 384 older adults.
• Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega.

Main Results:

• Exploratory factor analysis revealed a single-factor structure with 11 items, explaining 59.86% of the variance.
• Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed optimal model fit indices.
• High internal consistency was demonstrated with Cronbach's alpha (α=0.94) and McDonald's Omega (ɷ=0.96).

Conclusions:

• The HeLD-Col is a unidimensional, reliable, and valid instrument.
• It is suitable for assessing oral health literacy among older adults in Colombia.
• This validated tool supports improved dental public health initiatives for the elderly population.