Evaluation of a Russian version of the oral health literacy instrument (OHLI)

Abstract

BackgroundOral health literacy has become a popular research area in the last decade; however, to date no health literacy instruments in the Russian language exist. The objectives of this study were to develop a Russian version of the Oral Health Literacy Instrument (OHLI) and to examine its reliability and validity.MethodsA convenience sample of patients who visited the dental division of the district hospital in Belarus was used in the study. The OHLI, created originally in English, was modified to adapt it to characteristics of routine dental services in Belarus and then translated into Russian, followed by back-translation. Participants completed a self-administered socio-demographic questionnaire, an oral health knowledge test and the Russian version of the OHLI (R-OHLI). Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses, including multiple regression modeling, were performed to examine reliability and validity of the R-OHLI.ResultsParticipants were 281 adult patients aged from 18 to 60 years, with a mean age of 33.1 ± 12.2; 64.1% of them were women. Cronbach’s alpha values for the two sections (reading comprehension and numeracy) and the total R-OHLI were 0.853, 0.815 and 0.895, respectively. The mean total R-OHLI score was 77.2 ± 14.5; the mean reading comprehension and numeracy scores were 39.5 ± 7.5 and 37.8 ± 8.8, respectively. The R-OHLI was significantly correlated to the oral health knowledge test. Pearson’s correlation coefficients between the oral health knowledge test and the reading comprehension, numeracy and total R-OHLI were 0.401, 0.258, and 0.363, respectively (p < 0.001). Women, participants with a university degree, and those who visited a dentist at least once a year had significantly (p < 0.05) higher mean scores for each section (reading comprehension, numeracy) and for total R-OHLI compared to their counterparts.ConclusionsThe R-OHLI showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. It was significantly associated with the oral health knowledge test, socio-demographic and behavioral factors. Therefore, the R-OHLI was proved to be a reliable and valid oral health literacy instrument for Russian-speaking people.

Adaptation and validation of the oral health literacy instrument for the Chilean population

“…The OHLI has 57 items, so the estimated sample size is 114–1140 respondents. For example, 100 respondents were used for development of the OHLI and 281 respondents were used for adaptation of the OHLI to Russian.…”

“…There are instruments based on understanding, such as the Oral Health Literacy Instrument (OHLI), which consists of 57 items divided into a section of 38 paragraphs with omitted words (Cloze procedure) and 19 questions on numeracy skills. Currently, there are validations of these instruments in several languages and two instruments are available in Spanish. The first is the Oral Health Literacy Assessment in Spanish (OHLA‐S), based on recognition and understanding, which was developed for Hispanic/Latino populations in the USA.…”

Comprehension of Japanese oral care‐related terms among caregivers and nurses, as assessed using a newly developed instrument

“…Hence, more intensive education of newly employed caregivers is necessary, to bridge this knowledge gap. While the effects of education on health/oral health literacy have been reported, we identified a new independent variable that was significantly associated with knowledge of oral care‐related terms among nursing staff: interest in oral care.…”

Survey on the oral health status of community‐dwelling older people with visual impairment

“…The OHIP‐5 consists of five items assessed on a five‐point scale from 0 to 4, with a higher total score representing a lower oral health‐related QOL. The assessment of oral health literacy has been modified slightly to make it suitable for elderly individuals and their health problems and has been performed according to the methods used in the previous study . In brief, the participants’ awareness and interest in oral health were assessed based on their awareness of 11 randomly selected terms used in geriatric dentistry.…”

“…The assessment of oral health literacy has been modified slightly to make it suitable for elderly individuals and their health problems and has been performed according to the methods used in the previous study. 13 In brief, the participants' awareness and interest in oral health were assessed based on their awareness of 11 randomly selected terms used in geriatric dentistry. The number of correct responses was used as the oral health literacy score.…”