Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Maternal Health Literacy Inventory in Pregnancy scale: a methodological study

Purpose: This study aimed to translate the Maternal Health Literacy Inventory in Pregnancy (MHELIP) scale into Turkish and evaluate its validity and reliability for use in the Turkish population. Methods: The participants in this methodological study included 250 pregnant women who presented to the antenatal clinic of the Florence Nightingale Hospital in Istanbul, Turkiye. Content validity was assessed using expert approval. Confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were used to assess the validity. Criterion validity was evaluated using the short- form health literacy survey tool, the Short-Form Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLS-SF12). To assess reliability, Cronbach's alpha, item analysis, and the test-retest method were used. Results: The mean age of the participants was 32.02 +/- 4.15 years. The content validity index of the scale was .99. The scale had a four-factor structure that fit well with 48 items. "Maternal health knowledge," "maternal health information search," "maternal health information assessment," and "maternal health decision making and behavior" subscales had Cronbach's alpha values of .91, .76, .85, and .90, respectively. The MHELIP and HLS-SF12 scores were significantly correlated (r=.422, p <.001). Conclusion: The MHELIP was found to be a valid and reliable measurement tool in pregnant Turkish women.