Authors
Powell, Lauren R.Ojukwu, Elizabeth
Person, Sharina D.
Allison, Jeroan J.
Rosal, Milagros C.
Lemon, Stephenie C.
UMass Chan Affiliations
School of MedicinePrevention Research Center
Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Department of Quantitative Health Sciences
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2017-02-01Keywords
patient and health communicationresearch ethics
measurement development
UMCCTS funding
Bioethics and Medical Ethics
Health Communication
Health Services Administration
Psychiatry and Psychology
Psychology
Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
BACKGROUND: Many research participants are misinformed about research terms, procedures, and goals; however, no validated instruments exist to assess individual's comprehension of health-related research information. We propose research literacy as a concept that incorporates understanding about the purpose and nature of research. OBJECTIVES: We developed the Research and Knowledge Scale (RaKS) to measure research literacy in a culturally, literacy-sensitive manner. We describe its development and psychometric properties. RESEARCH DESIGN: Qualitative methods were used to assess perspectives of research participants and researchers. Literature and informed consent reviews were conducted to develop initial items. These data were used to develop initial domains and items of the RaKS, and expert panel reviews and cognitive pretesting were done to refine the scale. We conducted psychometric analyses to evaluate the scale. SUBJECTS: The cross-sectional survey was administered to a purposive community-based sample (n=430) using a Web-based data collection system and paper. MEASURES: We did classic theory testing on individual items and assessed test-retest reliability and Kuder-Richardson-20 for internal consistency. We conducted exploratory factor analysis and analysis of variance to assess differences in mean research literacy scores in sociodemographic subgroups. RESULTS: The RaKS is comprised of 16 items, with a Kuder-Richardson-20 estimate of 0.81 and test-retest reliability 0.84. There were differences in mean scale scores by race/ethnicity, age, education, income, and health literacy (all P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the RaKS. This scale can be used to measure research participants' understanding about health-related research processes and identify areas to improve informed decision-making about research participation.Source
Med Care. 2017 Feb;55(2):117-124. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000000629. Link to article on publisher's site
DOI
10.1097/MLR.0000000000000629Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/29121PubMed ID
27579914Notes
Co-author Elizabeth Ojukwu is a medical student at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Related Resources
Distribution License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1097/MLR.0000000000000629
Scopus Count
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/