Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1493682

Health Literacy status and associated factors among residents in Anhui Province, China: a cross-sectional study

Provisionally accepted
Yuansheng Fu Yuansheng Fu 1Jianrong Xie Jianrong Xie 1*De Xu De Xu 1*Yuanrui Xia Yuanrui Xia 1Zhimin Wang Zhimin Wang 1*Yinguang Fan Yinguang Fan 2*
  • 1 Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei, China
  • 2 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Health literacy (HL) is a critical determinant of health outcomes. Improving HL stands as one of the most essential, cost-effective, and efficacious strategies for enhancing the overall health of the population. This study aims to analyze the status of HL among urban and rural residents in Anhui Province, explore the associated factors, and provide a scientific basis for the formulation of targeted health education and promotion strategies.A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 16,080 non-collective residents in Anhui Province from July to September 2022. Participants were selected using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method. HL was measured using the Chinese Citizen Health Literacy Questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with adequate HL.Results: Overall, 29.60% of residents in Anhui Province had adequate HL. The proportion of adequate HL in the different cities ranged from 22.42% to 38.73%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the proportion of individuals with adequate HL was higher for males than for females (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.200; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.086-1.326); married was higher than unmarried (aOR=1.195, 95% CI: 1.021-1.398). Compared with illiterate / less literate, the aOR values for primary school, junior high school, senior high school,

    Keywords: Health Literacy, Residents, Associated factors, Health Education, Health Promotion

    Received: 09 Sep 2024; Accepted: 24 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Fu, Xie, Xu, Xia, Wang and Fan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jianrong Xie, Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei, China
    De Xu, Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei, China
    Zhimin Wang, Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei, China
    Yinguang Fan, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.