Health Literacy Level and its Related Factors among College Students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objective: Health literacy has a potential impact on people's health and quality of life and reduces the cost of health care. Therefore, considering the importance of health literacy and its role in individuals' health, the present study aimed to determine the level of health literacy and its related factors among the students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 386 students studying at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2016. The study population was selected through multistage sampling method. The data were collected using the questionnaire of Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA) through self-report design. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software, version 21, using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and Chi-square test. Results: According to the results, 50.5% and 3.9% of the subjects had adequate and inadequate health literacy, respectively. Internet was found to be the main modality through which the students obtained most of their information about health. In addition, health literacy was significantly associated with age, gender, marital status, faculty, and source of information (P<0.05). Conclusion: Regarding the level of health literacy in the students and the effective demographic variables, it is necessary to design and implement some interventions targeted toward the empowerment of students in the field of health literacy. Furthemore, it seems essential to provide the students with newer ways, such as web-based education, to improve their health information.