Health Literacy among Rural Communities: A Large Cross-Sectional Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 National Center for Health Insurance Research, Iran Health Insurance Organization, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

3 Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

4 Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

5 Department of Biostatistics, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objective: A good picture of the Health literacy (HL) state in rural communities is essential to prevent and reduce the cost of treatment. The aim of this study is to estimate the HL of Iranian rural communities and identify related factors.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with multi-stage cluster sampling on about 5700 insured people living in rural areas of Iran in 2021. HL for Iranian Adults (HELIA) questionnaire and demographic information checklist were used to collect information. Bivariate and multivariable regression analyses were conducted to examine the factors associated with HL.

Results: Out of 5675 participants in the study, 35.9% were male, 18.6% had university education levels, and 24.1% were single. The overall average score of the HL Questionnaire was 59.64 ± 22.85. Age, marital status, education level, number of insurance years, and annual visits were associated with HL (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The level of HL in the rural communities of Iran was inadequate. Education level was the most critical factor related to HL. Due to the low literacy level, the production of simple, understandable, cheap, and available media and educational materials appropriate to the cultural, economic, and social characteristics of Iranian rural communities is recommended.

Keywords

Availability of data and materials: Datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request

Conflicts of interest: There is no Conflicts of interest.

Ethical considerations: This research was carried out with the permission and approval of the Research Committee of Tehran Medical University (IR.TUMS.MEDICINE.REC.1399.589), and was carried out under the attention of Helsinki announcements at all stages of the research.

Funding; The financial support of this research was provided by the National Center for Health Insurance Research.

Author Contributions: Ali Vafaee-Najar: conceived and data collection. Mahdi Gholian-Aval: designed the study and supervision and conceptualization. Jamshid Jamali:  Preformed analysis and validation   

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