Research On Old Persons Health Literacy Status, Influencing Factors And Intervention In The Community Of Yancheng City

Objective:To understand old persons’ health literacy in the commnity of Yancheng City in cross-sectional survey, analyze its status and influencing factors, then carry out health education, evaluate the effect of intervention, provide references for making wide-range, large-scale intervention plan of health literacy and health education strategy and standard.Methods:400 old persons aged between 60 and 80 were selected as participants randomly by multi-stage sample designs involving stratification and cluster sampling.2009 Chinese Citizen Health Literacy Questionnaire was applied in this study. According to the survey results and the definition of "chinese health literacy-basic knowledge and skill", and "chinese citizen health literacy-basic knowledge and skill", health education to the aged for a period of three months was conducted. After the intervention, health education effect was evaluated with the same survey method.Results:The survey showed that 5.75% the aged possessed health literacy in the community in Yancheng. Three aspects of health literacy were ranked from high to low as follows:basic knowledge and idea about health(17.75%),basic skill about health (15.5%), life style and behavior about health (8.75%); five kinds of health literacy from high to low as follows:scientific health literacy(36.5%), basic health literacy (20.25%), safety and emergency literacy(15.75%), chronic disease prevention literacy(10.25%), infectious disease prevention literacy(7.25%). Logistic regression analysis showed that the degree of education, occupation, carry on medical and health work or not, family average monthly income were important influencing factors. After three-month health education, the participants’health literacy level improved, and it was statistically significant (P<0.01).400 participants were divided into three groups, and given three different health education ways including making bulletin board on health knowledge and giving out brochure, playing propaganda film, holding inter-lectures. Results showed only the participants in the group given Interactive lecture improved in all these three aspects of basic knowledge and idea about health, life style and behavior about health and basic skill about health,and it was statistically significant (P＜0.01)Conclusion:The old persons’health literacy in the community in Yancheng is at lower level, it is important to improve their health literacy, especially those who are ill-educated and poor monthly income. Interactive lecture plays an effective role in improving old persons’health literacy.