College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Mar 11;16(5):881. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16050881.
In the U.S., privately owned wells are not subject to any regulatory testing requirements. Well owners must have sufficient environmental health literacy (EHL) to understand and interpret information that contain complex terms and labels to manage their water quality. The objective of this paper is to assess the performance and validity of a new EHL screening tool. The Water Environmental Literacy Level Scale (WELLS) is based on the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) and contains six questions on comprehension, calculations and application of information. Content validity was assessed from expert review. Criterion-related and construct validity were evaluated using an online, convenience sample of adults ( = 869). Percent of correct responses for items ranged from 53% to 96% for NVS and from 41% to 97% for WELLS. Completion time, mean scores, distributions, and internal consistency were equivalent between both scales. Higher scores suggest higher EHL. The scales were moderately correlated (ρ = 0.47, < 0.001). Kappa agreement was 74%. Bland-Altman plots depicted little mean difference between the scales. Education and income level were positively associated with EHL. WELLS showed criterion-validity with NVS and construct validity with education and income. In practice or research, WELLS could quickly screen individuals for low EHL.
在美国，私人拥有的水井不受任何监管测试要求的限制。井主必须具备足够的环境健康素养 (EHL)，以便理解和解释包含复杂术语和标签的信息，从而管理其水质。本文的目的是评估一种新的 EHL 筛选工具的性能和有效性。水环境卫生素养水平量表 (WELLS) 基于最新重要体征 (NVS)，包含六个关于理解、计算和应用信息的问题。内容有效性是通过专家审查进行评估的。使用在线便利样本对成年人（n = 869）进行了与标准相关的有效性和结构有效性评估。NVS 项目的正确回答百分比范围为 53%至 96%，而 WELLS 的正确回答百分比范围为 41%至 97%。两种量表的完成时间、平均分数、分布和内部一致性均相当。得分越高表示 EHL 越高。这两个量表中度相关（ρ=0.47，<0.001）。Kappa 一致性为 74%。Bland-Altman 图显示两个量表之间的平均差异很小。教育程度和收入水平与 EHL 呈正相关。WELLS 与 NVS 具有标准有效性，与教育程度和收入具有结构有效性。在实践或研究中，WELLS 可以快速筛选出 EHL 较低的个体。
