Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health

Original Articles

Cross-cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of 3 Health Literacy Instruments (SAHL-E, AAHLS, and HLS-EU-Q47) in Hindi Among Rural Adults in North India: Dheeraj Sharma; J Prev Med Public Health. 2026;59(2):194-203. Published online March 30, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.25.893

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Abstract Summary PDF Supplementary Material: Objectives
Health literacy (HL) is a key determinant of health behaviors and health outcomes. However, the lack of validated Hindi-language instruments limits its assessment in India. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and psychometrically validate 3 internationally recognized tools—the Short Assessment of Health Literacy in English (SAHL-E), the All Aspects of Health Literacy Scale (AAHLS), and the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47)—for Hindi-speaking adults in rural North India.
Methods
A community-based cross-sectional study enrolled 250 adults from 5 villages in Uttar Pradesh. Translation followed forward–backward procedures with expert review and pretesting. Psychometric evaluation included internal consistency (Cronbach α), test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients, ICC), construct validity (exploratory factor analysis), convergent and known-groups validity, and feasibility indicators (completion rates and interview duration).
Results
All instruments demonstrated strong psychometric performance. Cronbach α values were 0.84 (SAHL-E), 0.87 (AAHLS), and 0.93 (HLS-EU-Q47), and ICCs ranged from 0.86 to 0.94. Factor structures aligned with theoretical expectations. Convergent correlations ranged from 0.42 to 0.61 (p<0.001), and known-groups validity analyses showed significant differences according to education and occupation. Completion rates exceeded 98%, and the mean interview duration was approximately 32 minutes.
Conclusions
The Hindi-adapted SAHL-E, AAHLS, and HLS-EU-Q47 demonstrated strong reliability, validity, and feasibility for assessing HL among rural adults in India.; Summary

Key Message
The Hindi versions of SAHL-E, AAHLS, and HLS-EU-Q47 showed acceptable reliability and construct validity among rural adults in North India. The instruments retained their expected factor structures and demonstrated moderate correlations with each other, indicating related but distinct dimensions of health literacy. These findings support their use for assessing health literacy in Hindi-speaking rural populations.

Disability Weights for the Korean Burden of Disease Study: Focused on Comparison with Disability Weights in the Australian Burden of Disease Study.: Young Kyung Do, Seok Jun Yoon, Jung Kyu Lee, Young Hoon Kwon, Sang Il Lee, Changyup Kim, Kidong Park, Yong Ik Kim, Youngsoo Shin; J Prev Med Public Health. 2004;37(1):59-71.

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Abstract PDF: OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to measure the disability weights for the Korean Burden of Disease study, and to compare them with those adopted in the Australian study to examine the validity and describe the distinctive features. METHODS: The standardized valuation protocol was developed from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study and the Dutch Disability Weights study. Disability weights were measured for 123 diseases of the Korean version of Disease Classification by three panels of 10 medical doctors each. Then, overall distribution, correlation coefficients, difference by each disease, and mean of differences by disease group were analyzed for comparison of disability weights between the Korean and Australian studies. RESULTS: Korean disability weights ranged from 0.037 to 0.927. While the rank correlation coefficient was moderate to high (rs=0.68), Korean disability weights were higher than the corresponding Australian ones in 79.7% of the 118 diseases. Of these, war, leprosy, and most injuries showed the biggest differences. On the contrary, many infectious and parasitic diseases comprised the greater part of diseases of which Korean disability weights were lower. The mean of the differences was the highest in injuries of GBD disease groups, and in cardiovascular disease, injuries, and malignant neoplasm of the Korean disease category. CONCLUSION: Korean disability weights were found to be valid on the basis of overall distribution pattern and correlation, and are expected to be used as basic data for broadening the scope of burden of disease study. However, some distinctive features still remain to be explored in following studies.; Summary

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