The Cannabis Health Literacy Questionnaire – Assessing Reliability and Known-Groups Validity in a Canadian Adult Sample

This study assessed the reliability and known-groups validity of the Cannabis Health Literacy Questionnaire (CHLQ) in a sample of Canadian adults (19+). A total of 1,034 respondents completed the CHLQ online. The CHLQ comprises four dimensions: Knowledge of Cannabis, Knowledge of Risks, Understanding Harms and Risks, and Seeking, Accessing and Using Cannabis Health Information. Internal consistency was assessed with raw questionnaire scores, while known-groups validity was assessed using Rasch-derived person scores with one-way analyses of variance. Internal consistency was acceptable for the Likert-response dimensions (Cronbach's α: 0.76-0.84) and modest for the knowledge-based dimensions (KR-20: 0.59 -0.64). CHLQ scores varied across participant characteristics, with cannabis consumption status emerging as a key characteristic across dimensions. Current cannabis consumers demonstrated higher knowledge of cannabis and confidence in seeking and using cannabis health information but lower agreement with cannabis risk related statements. Age-related differences were also observed, with younger and middle-aged adults scoring higher than older adults in select CHLQ dimensions. These findings provide additional evidence supporting the CHLQ's reliability and construct validity and demonstrating its potential use for evaluating variation in cannabis health literacy across population subgroups. Such evidence may help informed future intended uses of the CHLQ and efforts to refine public-oriented cannabis health education.