Development and Validation of HEPCA-Lat: A Bilingual Hepatitis C Virus Knowledge Scale for Latino Men

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) knowledge is alarmingly low among Latino/Latinx/Hispanic populations (thereby Latino), and commonly used HCV knowledge scales have not been updated with recent innovations in HCV treatment. Latino men who have sex with men (LMSM) and Latino seasonal farmworkers (LSW) are two groups at the highest risk of HCV. In response, we developed and validated “HEPCA-Lat: Prueba de Conocimientos sobre Hepatitis C para Adultos Latinos,” a bilingual English/Spanish HCV knowledge scale. First, we identified 14 unique HCV scales. Then, experts and community health workers identified 43 items to include in HEPCA-Lat. From 2018 to 2020, we recruited participants from community health organizations in South Florida to complete a cross-sectional questionnaire. We conducted Item-Total Correlation, Principal Component, and reliability (random splits, Cronbach’s alpha, mean inter-item correlation) analyses to develop and validate the final HEPCA-Lat. We used regression analyses to examine associations with HCV knowledge. Of 208 participants, 89 were LMSM and 127 were LSW. Of 43 unweighted items identified for initial inclusion, a correlation threshold of >0.5 was used, and 20 items were retained. Items loaded onto 2 components: “HCV prevention” and “Living with HCV” (55.4% of variance). HCV knowledge was low: LMSM correctly answered 44.6% and LSW 14.5% of items. Future research could focus on (a) applying the HEPCA-Lat scale in pre- and post-intervention assessments to evaluate changes in HCV knowledge and (b) refining the HEPCA-Lat scale to a concise version for broader use among the general Latino population.