Background: This study aims to develop a valid and reliable tool for measuring reproductive health literacy in women that have reached reproductive age and to examine the effects of sociodemographic characteristics on reproductive health literacy.
Method: Data were collected through a link posted on social media that was accessible in a western province of Turkey between April 10th and July 15th of 2022. The study was conducted in three phases. In the first phase, feedback from 11 experts and 15 women of reproductive age was collected in order to create the draft scale containing 22 items selected via literature review. In the second phase, these items were submitted to 229 women of reproductive age in order to gather answers. In the third phase, the developed reproductive health literacy scale and the personal information form— both created by the researchers—were applied to women of reproductive age (n = 422). p < 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.
Results: The 21-item reproductive health literacy scale developed for women of reproductive age showed high internal consistency (α=0.958). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the questionnaire structure fit the hypothetical model. The reproductive health literacy of women with high incomes, those who are married, and those who have gone through some kind of reproductive health education was found to be higher (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The reproductive health literacy scale shows appropriate reliability and validity as a scale and can be used as a potentially effective assessment tool for reproductive health literacy.
Anahtar Kelimeler: reproductive health, reproductive age, health literacy, reproductive health literacy, scale development
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