The prevalence of low health literacy and its socio-demographic risk factors in Hebei: a provincially cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of low health literacy in Hebei Province of China, and to investigate its socio-demographic risk factors.Methods: This study was a community-based, cross-sectional questionnaire survey with a multiple-stage randomization design and a sample size of 10560. Participants’ health literacy status was evaluated by a questionnaire based on the 2012 Chinese Resident Health Literacy Scale. Meanwhile, participants’ socio-demographic characteristics were also collected by the questionnaire.Results: A total of 9952 participants provided valid questionnaires and were included in the final analyses. The mean health literacy score was 63.1±17.1 points; for its subscales, the mean basic knowledge and concepts score, lifestyle score, health-related skills score were 31.7±9.0, 17.2±4.8, 14.3±4.1, respectively. Meanwhile, low health literacy prevalence was 81.0%; for its subscales, low basic knowledge and concepts prevalence (70.6%) was numerically reduced compared to low lifestyle prevalence (87.4%) and low health-related skills prevalence (86.1%). Further analyses showed that age, male and rural area were positively associated, but education level and annual household income were negatively associated with low health literacy prevalence. Further multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that higher age, male, lower education level, lower annual household income and rural area were closely correlated with the risks of low total health literacy or low health literacy in subscales in Hebei Province.Conclusion: The prevalence of low health literacy is 81.0% in Hebei Province. Meanwhile, higher age, male, lower education level, lower annual household income and rural area closely associate with low health literacy risk.

Conceptualization of Health Literacy from a Nursing Perspective

“…Among these individual factors, age has the closest relationship with health literacy. The higher the age, the lower the health literacy (Do et al, 2020; Liu et al, 2015; Yang et al, 2021). Likewise, Sántha’s (2021) study found that health literacy significantly correlated with age and education factors.…”

“…However, in his research, these two factors are categorized into socioeconomic factors. In addition, Yang et al (2021) said that in addition to personal factors, access to information or the use of information sources such as the internet is a factor that determines a person’s literacy. Health literacy is a concept based on the existence of the information, so access to information becomes an inseparable part of the formation of health literacy.…”