Journal of Health Literacy

Journal of Health Literacy

Health Literacy and Health Behaviors among Educational Supportive Staff in a Public University in Bangkok, Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Faculty of Public Health, Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent a significant public health challenge among the working-age population, where enhancing health literacy and healthy behaviors is essential to mitigate chronic disease risks.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to assess health literacy, health behaviors, and the factors associated with health behaviors among 304 educational supportive staff at Ramkhamhaeng University. Participants were selected using stratified random sampling, and data were collected via questionnaires from December 2025 to January 2026. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regression analysis.

Results: The results showed moderate levels of health literacy (66.56%) and health behaviors (70.73%) among 304 participants. The multivariable logistic regression analysis identified two independent positive predictors of favorable health behaviors: the health communication domain (AOR=2.13, 95% CI: 1.49–3.06, p<0.001) and the self-management domain (AOR=1.35, 95% CI:1.09–1.68, p=0.006). Conversely, the decision-making skills domain was found to be a significant negative predictor (AOR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.50–0.78, p<0.001). The final model accounted for 38.6% of the variance in health behaviors with 85.0% predictive accuracy.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that the university should strengthen health communication skills, empower departmental leaders, and address workplace barriers to sustainably enhance staff health behaviors.
Keywords

Acknowledgments: The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the educational supportive staff at Ramkhamhaeng University for contributing their valuable time during the data collection process. The authors also wish to thank Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, for providing the research funding for this study.


Availability of data and material: The data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.


Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.


Consent for Publication: Not applicable.


Ethics approval and consent to participate: The research protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok (COA No. 049 RMUTTO, IRB No. 068/2025_exp). This study was conducted in strict accordance with international ethical standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki, the Belmont Report, CIOMS Guidelines, and the International Conference on Harmonisation - Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP). Before data collection, all participants were informed about the study's objectives and provided written informed consent. Confidentiality and anonymity were strictly maintained, and participants were informed of their right to withdraw from the study at any time without penalty.


Funding: Ramkhamhaeng University.


Author contributions: Supattra Assawamaitree: Conceptualization, method, validation, field investigation, data curation, formal analysis, original draft preparation, writing, reviewing, editing, and critical review of the original draft.
Sunaree Tanapek: Conceptualization, method, validation, field investigation, data curation, formal analysis, original draft preparation, writing, reviewing, editing. and critical review of the original draft.
Saroj Nakju: Conceptualization, method, review, editing, supervision, and critical review of the original draft. All authors have approved the final version of the manuscript for submission.


Declaration AI: We acknowledge the use of Gemini (Google AI) to improve the language and readability of the manuscript. The authors have thoroughly reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the final content of the manuscript.

 

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Available Online from 05 July 2026