Objective To develop an assessment tool for health consumption literacy and evaluate its reliability and validity.

Methods From January to March 2024, a theoretical framework and an initial item pool were established through literature review. The Delphi method was employed to screen indicators, and the analytic hierarchy process was used to calculate weights of indicators. In April 2024, an online survey was conducted among 3 053 Chinese residents aged 18 and above to test the reliability and validity of the scale.

Results The final health consumption literacy scale consisted of 5 primary indicators and 20 secondary indicators after two rounds of Delphi consultation. In the first round, the mean scores for relevance, importance, and feasibility of indicators were 4.70, 4.61, and 4.36, with coefficients of variation of 0.12, 0.12, and 0.14, respectively. In the second round, the corresponding mean scores were 4.62, 4.28, and 4.45, with coefficients of variation of 0.12, 0.14, and 0.13. Kendall′s W coefficients of expert opinions were all significant (P < 0.05), indicating good concordance. The 3 053 residents aged over 18 surveyed nationwide showed that the total average scale score of 77.37 ± 11.06. Reliability and validity tests indicated that the Cronbach′s α coefficient of the health consumption literacy scale was 0.911, with a split-half reliability of 0.898. The incremental fit indices included IFI at 0.939, TLI at 0.927, and CFI at 0.939.

Conclusions The health consumption literacy scale developed in this study has good reliability and validity and can serve as an effective tool for assessing health consumption literacy among Chinese residents.