Measuring the Ability to Interpret Medical Information Among the Japanese Public and the Relationship With Inappropriate Purchasing Attitudes of Health-Related Goods

Abstract

To investigate the relationship with uncritical purchasing attitudes toward health-related goods, the authors devised a test for ability to interpret medical information (TAIMI) among the Japanese public, designed to measure numeracy, literacy, and also critical appraising skills. An online survey was conducted, and 6047 participants were randomly chosen from the Japanese public and 36 physicians. TAIMI score for the public was 3.9 ± 1.7 (mean ± standard deviation); the physicians’ was higher at 6.2 ± 1.3 (P < .01). The lower TAIMI scoring group was more prone to purchasing health-related goods in response to exaggerated advertising than the higher-scoring one (P < .01). Factor analysis indicated that TAIMI included 2 factors related to the ability to critically appraise the validity and impact of evidence. In conclusion, TAIMI successfully measured the ability to interpret medical information, including the critical aspect of appraising validity and impact of the information. People competent in the interpretation tended to have more critical purchasing attitudes.