Dataset Information

Factors Associated With Limited Cancer Health Literacy Among Chinese People: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Limited cancer health literacy may be attributed to various factors. Although these factors play decisive roles in identifying individuals with limited cancer health literacy, they have not been sufficiently investigated, especially in China. There is a pressing need to ascertain the factors that effectively identify Chinese people with poor cancer health literacy.

Objective

This study aimed to identify the factor associated with limited cancer health literacy among Chinese people based on the 6-Item Cancer Health Literacy Test (CHLT-6).

Methods

We first categorized Chinese study participants according to the answers provided for cancer health literacy as follows: people who provided ≤3 correct answers were labeled as having limited cancer health literacy, whereas those who provided between 4 and 6 correct answers were labeled as having adequate cancer health literacy. We then adopted logistic regression to analyze the factors that were closely related to limited cancer health literacy among at-risk study participants.

Results

The logistic regression analysis identified the following factors that effectively predicted limited cancer health literacy: (1) male gender, (2) low education attainment, (3) age, (4) high levels of self-assessed general disease knowledge, (5) low levels of digital health literacy, (6) limited communicative health literacy, (7) low general health numeracy, and (8) high levels of mistrust in health authorities.

Conclusions

Using regression analysis, we successfully identified 8 factors that could be used as predictors of limited cancer health literacy among Chinese populations. These findings have important clinical implications for supporting Chinese people with limited cancer health literacy through the development of more targeted health educational programs and resources that better align with their actual skill levels.

SUBMITTER: Shan Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10248776 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Factors Associated With Limited Cancer Health Literacy Among Chinese People: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

Shan Yi Y Ji Meng M Xing Zhaoquan Z Dong Zhaogang Z

JMIR formative research 20230524

<h4>Background</h4>Limited cancer health literacy may be attributed to various factors. Although these factors play decisive roles in identifying individuals with limited cancer health literacy, they have not been sufficiently investigated, especially in China. There is a pressing need to ascertain the factors that effectively identify Chinese people with poor cancer health literacy.<h4>Objective</h4>This study aimed to identify the factor associated with limited cancer health literacy among Chi ...[more]

PMID: 37223982

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Project description:BackgroundeHealth resources and interventions promise to promote favorable behavior change, self-efficacy, and knowledge acquisition, thereby improving health literacy. However, individuals with limited eHealth literacy may find it difficult to identify, understand, and benefit from eHealth use. It is necessary to identify the self-assessed eHealth literacy of those who use eHealth resources to classify their eHealth literacy levels and to determine the demographic characteristics associated with higher and lower eHealth literacy skills.ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify notable factors closely associated with limited eHealth literacy among Chinese male populations to provide some implications for clinical practice, health education, medical research, and public health policy making.MethodsWe hypothesized that participants' eHealth literacy status was associated with various demographic characteristics. Therefore, we elicited the following information in the questionnaire: age and education, self-assessed disease knowledge, 3 well-developed health literacy assessment tools (ie, the All Aspects of Health Literacy Scale, eHealth Literacy Scale, and General Health Numeracy Test), and the 6 Internal items on health beliefs and self-confidence in the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scales. Using randomized sampling, we recruited survey participants from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, China. After validating the data collected through a web-based questionnaire survey via wenjuanxing, we coded all valid data according to predefined coding schemes of Likert scales with different point (score) ranges. We then calculated the total scores of the subsections of the scales or the entire scale. Finally, we used logistic regression modeling to associate the scores of the eHealth Literacy Scale with the scores of the All Aspects of Health Literacy Scale, the General Health Numeracy Test-6, and age and education to ascertain factors considerably associated with limited eHealth literacy among Chinese male populations.ResultsAll data from the 543 returned questionnaires were valid according to the validation criteria. By interpreting these descriptive statistics, we found that 4 factors were significantly correlated with participants' limited eHealth literacy: older age, lower education attainment, lower levels of all aspects of health literacy (functional, communicative, and critical), and weaker beliefs and self-confidence in internal drivers and strengths to stay healthy.ConclusionsBy applying logistic regression modeling, we ascertained 4 factors that were significantly correlated with limited eHealth literacy among Chinese male populations. These relevant factors identified can inform stakeholders engaging in clinical practice, health education, medical research, and health policy making.

Project description:BackgroundChronic patients persistently seek for health information on the internet for medication information seeking, nutrition, disease management, information regarding disease preventive actions and so on. Consumers ability to search, find, appraise and use health information from the internet is known as eHealth literacy skill. eHealth literacy is a congregate set of six basic skills (traditional literacy, health literacy, information literacy, scientific literacy, media literacy and computer literacy). The aim of this study was to assess eHealth literacy level and associated factors among internet user chronic patients in North-west Ethiopia.MethodsInstitutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted. Stratified sampling technique was used to select 423 study participants among chronic patients. The eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS) was used for data collection. The eHEALS is a validated eight-item Likert scaled questionnaire used to asses self-reported capability of eHealth consumers to find, appraise, and use health related information from the internet to solve health problems. Statistical Package for Social science version 20 was used for data entry and further analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between the eHealth literacy skill and associated factors. Significance was obtained at 95% CI and p < 0.05.ResultIn total, 423 study subjects were approached and included in the study from February to May, 2019. The response rate to the survey was 95.3%. The majority of respondents 268 (66.3%) were males and mean age was 35.58 ± 14.8 years. The multivariable logistic regression model indicated that participants with higher education (at least having the diploma) are more likely to possess high eHealth literacy skill with Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 3.48, 95% CI (1.54, 7.87). similarly, being government employee AOR: 1.71, 95% CI (1.11, 2.68), being urban resident AOR: 1.37, 95% CI (0.54, 3.49), perceived good health status AOR: 3.97, 95% CI (1.38, 11.38), having higher income AOR: 4.44, 95% CI (1.32, 14.86), Daily internet use AOR: 2.96, 95% CI (1.08, 6.76), having good knowledge about the availability and importance of online resources AOR: 3.12, 95% CI (1.61, 5.3), having positive attitude toward online resources AOR: 2.94, 95% CI (1.07, 3.52) and higher level of computer literacy AOR: 3.81, 95% CI (2.19, 6.61) were the predictors positively associated with higher eHealth literacy level.ConclusionBesides the mounting indication of efficacy, the present data confirm that internet use and eHealth literacy level of chronic patients in this setting is relatively low which clearly implicate that there is a need to fill the skill gap in eHealth literacy among chronic patients which might help them in finding and evaluating relevant online sources for their health-related decisions.

Project description:BackgroundPrevious studies have revealed that functional health literacy plays a less important role than communicative and critical health literacy (CRHL) and that communicative literacy and CRHL contribute more to better patient self-management. Although improving health literacy has been identified as an approach to fostering community involvement and empowerment, CRHL may be regarded as the neglected domain of health literacy, rarely achieving any focus or interventions that claim to be working toward this outcome. Considering this research background, close scholarly attention needs to be paid to CRHL and its associated factors.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess CRHL and identify essential factors closely associated with the status of CRHL among Chinese patients and to provide some implications for clinical practice, health education, medical research, and public health policy making.MethodsWe conducted this cross-sectional study, which lasted from April 8, 2022, to September 23, 2022, following the steps below. We first designed a 4-section survey questionnaire and then recruited Mandarin Chinese-speaking patients from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, China, using randomized sampling. Subsequently, we administered the questionnaire via wenjuanxing, the most popular web-based survey platform in China, between July 20, 2022, and August 19, 2022. Finally, we used latent class modeling to analyze the valid data collected to classify the patient participants and identify the factors potentially associated with different CRHL levels.ResultsAll data in the 588 returned questionnaires were valid. On the basis of the collected data, we classified the patient participants into 3 latent classes of limited, moderate, and adequate CRHL and identified 4 factors associated with limited CRHL, including middle and old age, male sex, lower educational attainment, and low internal drive to maintain one's health.ConclusionsUsing latent class modeling, we identified 3 classes of CRHL and 4 factors associated with limited CRHL among the Chinese study participants. These literacy classes and the predicting factors ascertained in this study can provide some implications for clinical practice, health education, medical research, and health policy making.

Project description:BackgroundThe internet has become an increasingly vital platform for health-related information, especially in upper-middle-income countries such as China. While previous research has suggested that online health information seeking (OHIS) can significantly impact individuals' engagement in health behaviors, most research focused on patient-centered health communication.ObjectiveThis study aims to examine how OHIS influences health behavior engagement among Chinese internet users, focusing on the role of eHealth literacy and perceived information quality in influencing relationships.MethodsAn online cross-sectional survey was conducted in November 2021 among 10,000 Chinese internet users, using quota sampling based on sex, age, and urban and rural residence, in line with the 48th Statistical Report on Internet Development of China. Nonparametric tests were used to examine the differences in eHealth literacy across sociodemographic groups. Partial correlation analysis and stepwise linear regression were conducted to test the associations between key variables. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted to test the hypotheses.ResultsOur study identified significant disparities in functional and critical eHealth literacy between urban and rural residents across age groups, income levels, education backgrounds, and health conditions (all P<.001). In terms of sex and regional differences, we found higher functional literacy among female users than male users, and critical literacy varied significantly across different regions. The proposed structural model showed excellent fit (χ2404=4183.6, χ2404=10.4,P<.001; root mean square error of approximation value of 0.031, 95% CI 0.030-.031; standardized root mean square residual value of 0.029; and comparative fit index value of 0.955), highlighting reciprocal associations between 2 types of eHealth literacy and OHIS. Participants' functional eHealth literacy, critical eHealth literacy, and OHIS have positive impacts on their health behavioral engagement. Perceived information quality was found to mediate the influence of OHIS on health behavior (b=0.003, 95% CI 0.002-0.003; P<.001).ConclusionsThe study revealed the pathways linking sociodemographic factors, eHealth literacy, OHIS, and perceived information quality and how they together influenced health outcomes. The findings underscore the significance of enhancing eHealth literacy and improving information quality to promote better health outcomes among Chinese internet users.

Project description:BackgroundRelatively little knowledge is available to date about health literacy among the general population in Europe. It is important to gain insights into health literacy competences among the general population, as this might contribute to more effective health promotion and help clarify socio-economic disparities in health. This paper is part of the European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU). It aims to add to the body of theoretical knowledge about health literacy by measuring perceived difficulties with health information in various domains of health, looking at a number of competences. The definition and measure of health literacy is still topic of debate and hardly any instruments are available that are applicable for the general population. The objectives were to obtain an initial measure of health literacy in a sample of the general population in the Netherlands and to relate this measure to education, income, perceived social status, age, and sex.MethodsThe HLS-EU questionnaire was administered face-to-face in a sample of 925 Dutch adults, during July 2011. Perceived difficulties with the health literacy competences for accessing, understanding, appraising and applying information were measured within the domains of healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion. Multiple linear regression analyses were applied to explore the associations between health literacy competences and education, income, perceived social status, age, and sex.ResultsPerceived difficulties with health information and their association with demographic and socio-economic variables vary according to the competence and health domain addressed. Having a low level of education or a low perceived social status or being male were consistently found to be significantly related to relatively low health literacy scores, mainly for accessing and understanding health information.ConclusionsPerceived difficulties with health information vary between competences and domains of health. Health literacy competences are associated with indicators of socio-economic position and with the domain in which health information is provided.

Project description:BackgroundHealth literacy proficiency is essential for health care professionals to provide quality patient care. There is limited research exploring health literacy proficiency among undergraduate health science students.ObjectivesTo determine health literacy among health science students in Singapore using the electronic Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ).DesignA cross-sectional survey using purposive sampling was conducted among undergraduate health science students.MethodologyThis study hypothesises that health literacy is influenced by gender, and it increases with the level of health science education, attributed to the increased exposure to the health care system and health care education as undergraduates progress through the years of study. Eligible students from the 4-year entry-level programmes of diagnostic radiography, dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, radiation therapy and speech and language therapy, aged from 21 to 50, were invited. Exclusion criteria were students who were no longer studying due to dropping out or having immediately graduated from these programmes and students in the accelerated programmes whose studies would be completed in less than 4 years.ResultsIn total, 111 respondents (72 females and 37 males) completed surveys (response rate, 7.7%) returned from physiotherapy (n = 69), occupational therapy (n = 25), diagnostic radiography (n = 12) and dietetics (n = 5), with nil from radiation therapy and speech and language therapy. All participants were English literate. Female participants demonstrated higher HLQ with a mean total score of 30.67 (standard deviation (SD) = 0.61) versus male participants 29.83 (SD = 0.53). Year 2, 3 and 4 students generally scored higher than Year 1 across all nine HLQ scales. Overall, dietetics students had the highest total score on the HLQ, while the diagnostic radiography students had the lowest scores for all the nine HLQ scales.ConclusionThis study established the health literacy level of health science students in Singapore. Gender and years of study influenced health literacy levels, supporting the hypothesis.

Project description:ObjectiveLimited health literacy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) led to poorer diabetes knowledge, less medication adherence and increased healthcare cost. The purpose of this paper was to report the prevalence of limited health literacy in patients with T2DM and to identify factors that are associated with it.DesignA cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March 2018; data on patients' sociodemographic characteristics, diabetes knowledge, perceived social support and health literacy level were collected. Health literacy level was measured using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47).SettingPatients were recruited from four primary care clinics in Perak, Malaysia.ParticipantsAdult patients diagnosed with T2DM who attended the study clinics during the study period.Primary outcome variablePatients with HLS-EU-Q47 General Index of ≤33 points were classified as having limited health literacy.ResultsThe prevalence of limited health literacy was 65.3% (n=279). In bivariate analysis, patients' ethnicity (p=0.04), highest education level (p<0.001), monthly income (p=0.003), having health insurance (p=0.007), English language fluency (p<0.001), Malay language fluency (p=0.021), attending diabetes education sessions (p<0.001), perceived social support (p<0.001) and diabetes knowledge (p=0.019) were factors associated with limited health literacy. In logistic regression, not being fluent in English was associated with limited health literacy (OR=2.36, 95% CI 1.30 to 4.30) whereas having high perceived social support (OR=0.52, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.69) and having attended diabetes education sessions (OR=0.42, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.68) were associated with adequate health literacy.ConclusionThe prevalence of limited health literacy is high among patients with T2DM in Perak, Malaysia. Strategies to improve health literacy in these patients must consider the influences of English fluency, attendance at diabetes education sessions and social support, and may need to adopt a universal approach to addressing limited health literacy.

Project description:Health literacy is one of the most critical aspects of health promotion. Limited health literacy is also accounted for adverse health outcomes and a huge financial burden on society. However, a gap exists in the level of health literacy, especially among undergraduates. This study aimed to assess the levels of health literacy and its socio-demographic determinants among undergraduate students of Tribhuvan University, Nepal. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 469 undergraduate students from five institutes of Tribhuvan University, Nepal. The 16-item short version of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16) was used to measure students' health literacy levels. Associated factors were examined using Chi-square tests followed by multivariate logistic regression analyses at the level of significance of 0.05. Nearly 61% of students were found to have limited health literacy (24.5% had "inadequate" and 36.3% had "problematic" health literacy). Female students (aOR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.5), students from non-health related majors (aOR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2-3.0), students with unsatisfactory health status (aOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.7-4.5), students with poor financial status (aOR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.2-6.8) and students with low self-esteem (aOR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.5-4.1) were significantly more likely to have limited health literacy. The majority of the undergraduates were found to have limited health literacy. Gender, sector of study, self-rated health status, self-rated financial status, and self-esteem were significantly associated with limited health literacy. This study indicates university students should not be assumed to be health-literate and interventions to improve students' health literacy especially for those whose majors are not health-related should be implemented. Further studies using a longer version of the health literacy survey questionnaire and qualitative methods to explore more on determinants of health literacy are recommended.

Project description:BackgroundAs the internet develops and 5G technology becomes increasingly prominent, the internet has become a major source of health-related information. Increasingly, people use the internet to find health-related information, and digital health literacy is now a set of essential capabilities to improve their health in the digital era. However, little is known about the factors that influencing digital health literacy. This study aimed to assess digital health literacy scores and identify its influencing factors among internet users in China. Additionally, this study explored the participant's actual skills using an additional set of performance-based items from the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI).MethodsAn online cross-sectional study was conducted in August 2022. Participants aged ≥18 years were recruited to complete the survey. Data were collected using the Chinese revised version of the DHLI, the self-reported internet use questionnaire, and the sociodemographic questionnaire. We conducted multivariate linear regression analyses to explore the relationships among the sociodemographic variables, behavior of internet use, and the digital health literacy scores.ResultsIn total, 702 participants completed the survey. The mean DHLI score was 2.69 ± 0.61. Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that the age groups 35-49 (β = - 0.08, P = 0.033), 50-64 (β = - 0.161, P < 0.001), and ≥ 65 (β = - 0.138, P < 0.001) were negatively associated with DHL scores. However, education level, including bachelor's or associate degree (β = 0.255, P = 0.002) and master's degree and above (β = 0.256, P < 0.001), frequency of health-related Internet usage (β = 0.192, P < 0.001), the number of digital devices used (β = 0.129, P = 0.001), and OHISB (β = 0.103, P = 0.006) showed a positive relationship with DHL scores.ConclusionsThe study findings demonstrate that age, educational levels, number of technological devices used, and greater use of the web for health information were independently associated with DHL scores. Healthcare providers should consider providing training programs tailored to specific sociodemographic factors to improve the ability that find and use accurate information online to meet digital health services, which contributes to enhance their self-management and reduce health disparities.

Dataset Information

Factors Associated With Limited Cancer Health Literacy Among Chinese People: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Factors Associated With Limited Cancer Health Literacy Among Chinese People: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

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