Development and testing of the reliability and validity of the health information-seeking behavior questionnaire for patients with chronic diseases

ObjectiveTo develop a Health Information-Seeking Behavior Questionnaire suitable for chronic disease patients and evaluate its reliability and validity.MethodsBased on Wilson's Information-Seeking Behavior Model, a questionnaire on health information acquisition behaviors among chronic disease patients was developed through literature review, research team discussions, two rounds of expert consultation, and a preliminary survey. Using convenience sampling, 368 patients with chronic diseases were recruited from medical institutions in Hangzhou, Jinhua, Lishui, Ningbo, Taizhou, and Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, from March to May 2023 and from August to September 2025. The dimension of health information acquisition channels was analyzed descriptively. The remaining three dimensions were analyzed using the critical ratio method and item-total correlation analysis. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's α coefficient and split-half reliability, while validity was assessed using the content validity index, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis.ResultsThe final questionnaire comprises four dimensions: health information needs, health information acquisition channels, health information query and acquisition, and health information evaluation, with a total of 30 items. The overall Cronbach's α coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.970,and the split-half reliability was 0.781. The content validity of the questionnaire averaged 0.830, with item-content validity indices ranging from 0.890 to 1.000. Exploratory factor analysis extracted three common factors, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 75.181%.Confirmatory factor analysis indicates that the model fits well.ConclusionThe Health Information-Seeking Behavior Questionnaire developed in this study demonstrates good reliability and validity. It can be used as a reliable and suitable tool to assess the health information-seeking behavior of patients with chronic diseases and provide a basis for healthcare professionals to develop targeted health education interventions.