Measuring Instruments for Media Health Literacy: A Systematic Review of Psychometric Properties

  1. Navas-Echazarreta, Noelia 12
  2. Juárez-Vela, Raúl 2
  3. Martínez-Sabater, Antonio 34
  4. Echániz-Serrano, Emmanuel 11
  5. Fernández-Rodrigo, María Teresa 11
  6. Navarro-Martínez, Olga 3
  7. Sancho-Sánchez, Consuelo 5
  8. Cobos-Rincón, Ana 2
  9. Rodríguez-Calvo, Antonio 6
  10. González-Fernández, Silvia 5
  11. Chover-Sierra, Elena 37
  12. Satústegui-Dordá, Pedro José 11
  1. 1 Universidad de Zaragoza
    info

    Universidad de Zaragoza

    Zaragoza, España

    ROR https://ror.org/012a91z28

  2. 2 Universidad de La Rioja
    info

    Universidad de La Rioja

    Logroño, España

    ROR https://ror.org/0553yr311

  3. 3 Universitat de València
    info

    Universitat de València

    Valencia, España

    ROR https://ror.org/043nxc105

  4. 4 Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valencia
    info

    Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valencia

    Valencia, España

    ROR https://ror.org/00hpnj894

  5. 5 Universidad de Salamanca
    info

    Universidad de Salamanca

    Salamanca, España

    ROR https://ror.org/02f40zc51

  6. 6 Hospital Universitario de Salamanca
    info

    Hospital Universitario de Salamanca

    Salamanca, España

    ROR https://ror.org/0131vfw26

  7. 7 Internal Medicine Department, Hospital General Universitario, 46014 Valencia, Spain
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Journal:
Nursing Reports

ISSN: 2039-4403

Year of publication: 2024

Volume: 14

Issue: 4

Pages: 2795-2818

Type: Review

DOI: 10.3390/NURSREP14040206 GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

More publications in: Nursing Reports

Abstract

Background: Informational overload hinders the recognition of quality information and influences a population’s health-related decisions. In this context, media health literacy aims to promote citizens’ critical analysis skills, contributing to informed decision-making. This study aims to identify the instruments used to measure the level of media health literacy and their psychometric properties. Methods: A systematic review of the scientific literature was performed in 2023. The articles were extracted from the electronic databases “Pubmed”, “Web of Science”, “Dialnet”, and “Scopus”. The search languages were limited to English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Results: Twelve articles were selected for further analysis. The described measurement instruments included five original scales and seven cross-cultural adaptations of three of them. Four scales (the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Media Literacy scale adapted to Turkish and Chinese, along with the Media Health Literacy (MeHLit) scale and its adaptation to the Chinese language) exhibited high quality in the assessment of psychometric properties. Conclusions: These instruments allow for the measurement of an individual’s level of skill when consuming specific health information, enabling an analysis to understand the risk they are exposed to. Further research is recommended to strengthen the existing evidence and apply these tools to broader and more diverse populations.