Barbara Gawłowska

Background/Objectives: Health literacy extends beyond individual competencies and encompasses how people engage with health systems. The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) is a widely used multidimensional instrument designed to assess different health literacy aspects across nine distinct domains. This study aimed to examine structural validity and internal consistency of the Polish version of the HLQ among primary care service users. Methods: The HLQ was used in a cross-sectional survey among 360 adults (mean age 51.76 years, SD 17.48) attending four primary care clinics in Poland. The assessment included confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and internal consistency tests. Results: A nine-factor CFA model was applied to the HLQ items, without allowing cross-loadings or correlated residuals. The fit indices confirmed good model fit: χ²_WLSMV (df = 866) = 1175.63, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.98; TLI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.038; and SRMR = 0.056. The factor loadings ranged from 0.55 to 0.94, indicating acceptable item–factor relationships across all domains. Internal consistency was satisfactory across all nine domains, with composite reliability ranging from 0.76 to 0.87 and Cronbach’s alpha from 0.78 to 0.88. Conclusions: The findings provide preliminary evidence supporting structural validity and internal consistency of the Polish HLQ in this sample of primary care service users and suggest the potential value of the instrument for multi-dimensional assessment of health literacy in similar Polish primary care populations. Future studies should evaluate additional measurement properties of the tool, as well as the performance of the instrument in nationally representative samples and across diverse clinical settings.

Background and Objectives: Assessing health literacy requires valid measurement tools that capture its multidimensional nature. The nine-scale Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) is globally used for this purpose. This study reports on the initial psychometric assessment of the Polish version of the HLQ. Materials and Methods: The HLQ was translated using the developers’ Translation Integrity Procedure and administered to 918 health professions students in a cross-sectional survey. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and reliability tests were conducted. Results: One-factor CFAs generally supported the intended structure of the individual HLQ scales, although some variation in model fit was observed across scales. A full, restrictive nine-factor CFA supported the original nine-factor model, with good fit indices: χ²_WLSMV (866 df) = 1752.08, p < 0.0001, CFI = 0.973, TLI = 0.970, SRMR = 0.045, RMSEA = 0.035. Factor loadings were generally acceptable (≥0.50), with only two items below the threshold. Internal consistency of scales was good to acceptable in all but one domain marginally lower than desired: “Appraisal of health information” (Cronbach’s α = 0.69, composite reliability 0.68). Conclusions: The findings provide initial evidence supporting structural validity and internal consistency of the Polish HLQ in this sample. Further testing in other Polish populations is recommended.

The growing number of patients after oncological treatment makes knowledge about potential cardiovascular complications of cancer therapy particularly important. Early recognition of symptoms enables the rapid initiation of appropriate therapy and improves outcomes. Education in this field increases awareness of the need for regular cardiology follow-up and adherence to health recommendations. It is advisable for patient education on the risk of cardiotoxicity to be included during visits with both the oncologist and the cardiologist. A self-developed questionnaire was used. It consisted of 40 questions (including 16 from the Health Behavior Scale) and 8 additional sociodemographic questions. An anonymous questionnaire was completed by 243 patients of the cardio-oncology outpatient clinic operating within the Department of Cardiology in Poland. In the survey conducted, patients were asked to define the concept of cardio-oncology; only 23.5% of respondents provided a correct answer. The highest level of awareness was observed among individuals under the age of 40 (p = 0.001) and of higher education levels (p < 0.001). Better knowledge was also noted among respondents who recalled being informed by their doctor about complications (p < 0.001) and among those who had undergone cardiological examinations (p = 0.005). The findings further revealed that respondents who recognized the importance of cardiac monitoring following therapy were significantly more likely to engage in health behaviors (p < 0.001). Particularly concerning was the limited communication regarding cardiovascular risks associated with cancer treatment. Only 24.3% of patients reported having been informed (or recalled being informed) by their oncologist about the potential cardiotoxic effects of anticancer drugs. Approximately one-third of respondents (32%) had not been referred for a cardiology consultation during their cancer treatment. Despite this, an overwhelming majority (95.5%) expressed the belief that a cardiologist should assess all oncology patients. These findings underscore critical deficiencies in patients’ education within the field of cardio-oncology. Health education interventions during oncological follow-up visits are needed

A healthy lifestyle is a key determinant of health, especially for people with chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension. The health behaviours which contribute to a healthy lifestyle include the following: regular physical activity, preventive examinations, maintaining a proper diet and avoiding the consumption of alcohol or cigarettes. They have a significant impact on the disease process, controlling symptoms and preventing complications. The aim of this study was to examine the health behaviours related to diet, physical activity and prevention among Polish primary health care patients and to identify predictors of health behaviours. For this reason, the standardized Health Behaviour Scale (HBS) questionnaire was used. The study was conducted among 269 patients (including 61.71% women) in primary health care facilities. The mean age of participants was 52.89 years (±17.76). The mean HBS score was 36.93 ± 9.66. A statistically significant association was found between HBS scores and such sociodemographic variables as education (p = 0.0061, r = 0.17), body mass index (p = 0.0018, r = −0.20, β = −0.36) and self-assessed economic status (p = 0.0094, r = 0.16). Women’s health behaviours as measured by HBS were significantly better than men’s (p < 0.001, β = −6.82). A special focus should be given to the groups manifesting poorer health behaviours (e.g., men, older people and persons with low socioeconomic status) by offering them tailored health-promoting interventions.