Scholarly record

ABILITIES AND SKILLS OF ADULT POPULATION IN THE AREA OF HEALTH LITERACY

D. Kimmer, R. Sulistova, J. Kaas

Abstract

Background: Health literacy is currently a hot and frequently discussed topic both in the Czech Republic and worldwide. The need of improving the awareness of this topic is confirmed by the fact that individuals with a lower level of health literacy show an impaired level of health, which is reflected by an excessive consumption of unhealthy food and prolonged hospitalization. Methods: This paper presents partial results of the RVO ZSF JU Project called Health Literacy in the Selected Groups of South Bohemian Population (SDZ2017) carried out between 2016 and 2019. A quantitative method of data collection, namely a questionnaire method, was chosen for data collection exploring the abilities and skills of adult population in health literacy. The sample consisted of 303 respondents at the age between 18 and 64 years. The collected data were evaluated using the SASD software. Results: The data collected show some shortcomings of the adult population in the area of health literacy. As an example can be mentioned the fact that nearly 20% of the population find quite difficult or very difficult to look up information about relevant diseases. It is also difficult for almost 22% of the respondents to find the access to professional help if they are ill. The finding that almost 30% of the respondents have difficulties to understand the information provided by their doctors can be hardly regarded as positive. On the other hand, it can be regarded as positive that the respondents realize the necessity of preventive examinations and, in the case of prescribed treatment, they do not find difficult to understand the doctor`s or pharmacist`s instructions regarding the prescribed medicaments. Conclusion: The results of this study show the lack of homogeneity in the abilities and skills of the adult population in regard to health literacy.

Publication details

Back to publication list