The association of health literacy and socio-demographic factors with medication knowledge

Abstract Background For developing effective interventions to promote health literacy in adolescence, differentiated data on the distribution of health literacy levels is required, but still lacking for this age group in many countries. The study aims to measure the distribution of generic health literacy (GHL) among adolescents addressing cognitive, behavioural, communicative and motivational dimensions of GHL. Methods We conducted a representative nationwide cross-sectional online survey among 14-17-year-olds living in Germany (n = 1,235). Data on GHL were collected from 09.2019-12.2019 using the “Measurement of Health Literacy Among Adolescents”-Questionnaire (MOHLAA-Q). It was specially developed for this age-group and consists of a total of 29 items in four subscales: A: “Difficulties in Dealing with Health-Related Information”, B: “Health-Related Communication Skills”, C: “Attitudes toward One's Own Health & Health Information” and D: “Health-Related Knowledge”. We also collected data on socio-demographic factors. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out. Results About half of the 14-17-year-olds reported many (8.4%) or some difficulties (42.2%) in dealing with health information. We observed low communication-related skills in 28.1% of adolescents. Regarding the attitude towards their own health and health information, 56.8% of respondents had a rather “partly passive/partly active” attitude and 8.8% had a “passive” attitude. 22.7% of the adolescents had a low level of health-related knowledge. All socio-demographic factors apart from age showed significant differences in each of the scales: by family affluence in all scales, by gender and by educational level in 3 scales and by migration background in 1 scale. Conclusions The results indicate a need for promoting GHL among adolescents. The differences in the four scales suggest that all dimensions of GHL should be addressed, but also considering socio-demographic factors at the same time.

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Mental Health Literacy among People with Mental Disorder: Correlations with Socio-demographic Factors, Self-esteem, Family Support

HEALTH AND SOCIAL SCIENCE ◽

10.21489/hass.2017.04.44.165 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 165

Author(s):

Sunyoung Michelle Cho ◽

Songsik Choi

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Mental Disorder ◽

Family Support ◽

Mental Health Literacy ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Socio Demographic Factors

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Associations between Socio-Demographic Factors and Hypertension Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Preliminary Findings from Malaysia

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18179306 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (17) ◽

pp. 9306

Author(s):

Mohamed Hassan Elnaem ◽

Nur Hasyimah Kamarudin ◽

Nabeel Kashan Syed ◽

Hasniza Zaman Huri ◽

Inderpal Singh Dehele ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Household Income ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Hypertension Management ◽

Age Group ◽

Hypertension Control ◽

Hypertensive Patients ◽

Socio Demographic Factors ◽

Study Participants

The perspectives of hypertensive patients on the state of hypertension control during the ongoing pandemic restrictions have not been extensively studied in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of socio-demographic factors, health literacy, and adherence on the overall hypertension management in a group of Malaysian hypertensive patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. An anonymous, online cross-sectional study was conducted over three months that involved a group of Malaysian adults with hypertension. A validated, self-administered 30-item questionnaire was prepared in Malay and English languages on Google Forms. The link was then distributed to participants on social media (Facebook and WhatsApp). Following survey validation, a pilot study with 30 participants who met the inclusion criteria was carried out. The total scores for health literacy, adherence, and pandemic impact on hypertension control were calculated and compared across all independent variables. In a total of 144 study participants, controlled blood pressure was reported in 77% (N = 111). There were good levels of adherence and health literacy scores but moderate levels of pandemic impact scores. The total adherence scores showed a statistically significant difference between age groups (χ2 = 6.48, p = 0.039) and those who reported having controlled and uncontrolled blood pressure (U = 1116, p = 0.001). Moreover, the analysis revealed statistically significant differences in total pandemic impact scores based on the age group (χ2 = 15.008, p = 0.001), household income (χ2 = 6.887, p = 0.032), employment (U = 1712, p = 0.006), and marital status (U = 520.5, p < 0.001). The youngest age group (18–39) years, the lowest income group, unemployed and unmarried individuals, had significantly higher pandemic impact scores. This denotes that those individuals were more prone to be negatively affected by the pandemic regarding their hypertension management. Most participants reported relatively controlled blood pressure and good levels of health literacy as well as adherence amidst the pandemic. To a moderate extent, study participants perceived that the pandemic had a negative effect on hypertension management. The perceived negative impact of the pandemic was attributed to several socio-demographic factors, such as age, household income, employment, and marital status.

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The Health Literacy of Adults in Alborz Province in Iran

Journal of Community Health Research ◽

10.18502/jchr.v7i4.268 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Seddigheh Ravati ◽

Malihe Farid

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Strong Predictor ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

T Test ◽

Cluster Sampling ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Literacy Questionnaire ◽

Socio Demographic Factors

Introduction: Health literacy is defined as the ability of an individual to acquire, interpret, and understand the basic information about health services and to use them. Health literacy is a strong predictor of health. Its low level is germane to health problems of people and society as well as economic costs. This study was designed to determine the level of health literacy considering socio-demographic factors in residents of Alborz province in 2015. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 465 people aged between 18 and 60 years old living in Alborz province were evaluated using two-stage random sampling technique (stratified and cluster sampling). In this study, Iranian Health Literacy Questionnaire (IHLQ) and socio-demographic Information Questionnaire were used to collect the required data. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as T-test, Mann-Whitney test, and Spearman correlation test using SPSS software. Results: The mean age of participants was 36.57(±11.08) years old and 68.2% of them were female. 22.4% of people had adequate, 44.3% had a moderate, and 33.3% had a poor level of health literacy. Health literacy in all dimensions of IHLQ except individual empowerment and social empowerment was moderate. People's access to health information also was moderate. The T-test indicated that the health literacy score was significantly higher in the individuals with the educational level of diploma and higher (p= 0.000), in Persian people (p= 0.008), and in unemployed people (p= 0.006). Conclusion: The high level of inadequate (moderate and poor) health literacy of 77.6% of the Alborz province population should be taken into consideration in health system policies to apply an effective strategy for promoting health literacy that results in better health status, regarding effective socio–demographic factors for each dimension of health literacy. Keywords: Health Literacy, Adults, Iranian Health Literacy Questionnaire (IHLQ)

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Objective health literacy skills among ninth graders in Finland: outcomes from a national learning assessment

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/14034948211019798 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 140349482110197

Author(s):

Anna-Mari Summanen ◽

Juhani Rautopuro ◽

Lasse K. Kannas ◽

Leena T. Paakkari

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Linear Model ◽

Educational Aspirations ◽

School Achievement ◽

Hierarchical Linear Model ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Educational Background ◽

Ninth Graders ◽

Language Of Instruction ◽

Socio Demographic Factors

Background: Health literacy (HL) is an important determinant for maintaining and improving health throughout the lifespan. This underlines the need to monitor HL, including among adolescents, and to understand the factors explaining HL, with a view to decreasing differences in HL. The aim of this study was to objectively measure HL, and the relationship between HL and socio-demographic factors (gender, language of instruction, pupils’ educational aspirations, parents’ educational background and pupils’ school achievement) among pupils ( n = 3652) at the end of basic education in Finland. Methods: A nationally representative assessment, which included 55 items on HL, was conducted as a traditional paper-and-pencil test in schools. The data were analysed via descriptive statistics and a two-level hierarchical linear model to determine how the socio-demographic factors affected HL. Results: The pupils’ average score on the HL test items was 58.9%, indicating a satisfactory HL level. A two-level hierarchical linear model showed that the variables (gender, language of instruction, pupils’ educational aspirations, parents’ educational background and pupils’ school achievement) predicting the HL level had statistically significant effects. Conclusions: Among ninth graders (15–16 years old), almost one third of the boys and 8% of the girls exhibited an unsatisfactory HL level. The study also confirmed the importance of school-related factors in explaining HL differences. Since low HL has been linked to several unfavourable health indicators and has been viewed as an underestimated problem in times of pandemic and other health crises, the findings suggest that the HL level of Finnish ninth graders is a clear public-health issue.

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ASSOCIATION OF SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS WITH DIARRHEA IN CHILDREN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS: A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF MULTIPLE INDICATOR CLUSTER SURVEY SINDH 2014

Pakistan Journal of Public Health ◽

10.32413/pjph.v7i2.39 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 85-89

Author(s):

Muhammad Irfan ◽

Syed Mustansir Hussain Zaidi ◽

Hira Fatima Waseem

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Wealth Index ◽

Household Wealth ◽

Cluster Survey ◽

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Multiple Indicator ◽

Mother Education ◽

Socio Demographic Factors

Background: Diarrhea founds to be the major cause of morbidity and mortality in children less than five years. Various factors are associated with diarrhea but socio-demographic factors are the main key elements, which associated with diarrhea. Methods: This study was examined association of socio-demographic factors with diarrhea in children less than five years of age of Sindh, Pakistan, using data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted from January 2014 to August 2014. Data were collected for 18,108 children in whom 16,449 children had complete data of demographic variables being included in the analysis. Bivariate analysis was done using Pearson's Chi square test and multivariate analysis being done using binary logistic regression. Results: We found increased risk of diarrhea among children lives in rural areas while household wealth index quintile was also associated with diarrhea. Children in the poor, middle and fourth wealth index quintiles being at increased risk of diarrhea compared to children in the richest wealth index quintile. The highest risk of diarrhea was found for the child having mother with no education as well as children aged 12-23 months. Conclusion: Age of child, mother education and wealth index found significant with diarrhea while Male children, child aged 12-23 months, child with no mother education, child from rural areas and child from poor households found with high risk of diarrhea.

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