Surveys On Health Literacy Of University Postgraduate Students

Objective:In order to investigate the health literacy status among postgraduate students at a large university, to reveal the awareness of postgraduate students’relevant knowledge of health literacy, and to provide a scientific reference for carrying out health literacy intervention and improving the health level of postgraduate students.Methods:Using stratified cluster sampling techniques, the health literacy status of 1370 graduate students whose majors are science, engineering, liberal arts, and medicine from a university were investigated. The questionnaire was designed based on "Health Literacy Monitoring Questionnaire of National Residents in 2013" including the general situation of students.Epidata3.02 software was used to establish database. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 19.0 on the data of the overall level of health literacy, three dimensions of health literacy (health knowledge and concept, healthy lifestyle and behavior, health skills), six categories of health literacy (scientific health views, infectious disease prevention, chronic disease prevention, safety and aid, basic medical literacy, health information) respectively, and students had health literacy when the correct answer rate of the health literacy questionnaire was 80% or more. Unconditional and multivariable Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of postgraduate students’health literacy level.Results:1.28.6% of the investigated postgraduate students had health literacy. The rates of students who had health knowledge and concept literacy, healthy lifestyle and behavior literacy and health skills literacy were 42.6%,34.5% and 26.8% respectively; while the rates of students who had safety and aid, scientific health views, health information, chronic disease prevention, infectious diseases prevention and basic medical literacy were 68.8%, 67.5%,43.9%,39.9%,28.6% and 12.8% respectively.2. The correlation analysis between the total scores and scores of three dimensions indicated that there were positive correlation between different dimensions.3. There was significant difference (P<0.05) between male and female students in the passing rates of health literacy, health knowledge and concept literacy and health skills, while there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between male and female students in the passing rates of healthy lifestyle and behavior literacy. The passing rates of health literacy, health knowledge and concept literacy and health skills literacy of male students were lower than that of female students.4. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) between different nationalities postgraduate students in the passing rates of health literacy and the three dimensions.5. There was significant difference (P<0.05) between doctoral students and master students in the passing rates of health literacy, health skills literacy, while there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between doctoral students and students in the passing rates of health knowledge and concept literacy, healthy lifestyle and behavior literacy. The passing rates of health literacy and health skills literacy of doctoral students were all higher than those of master students.6. The passing rates of health literacy and the three dimensions of different specialties from high to low were as follows:medicine, liberal arts, engineering, science. There was significant difference (P<0.05) between different majors students in health literacy and the three dimensions.7. There was significant difference (P<0.05) among students who came from different areas in the passing rates of health literacy, health knowledge and concept, while there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in healthy lifestyle and behavior literacy and health skills.The passing rates of health literacy, health knowledge and concept of students from east China were higher than those of postgraduate students from central and western China.8. There was significant difference (P<0.05) among students with different average consumption per month in health skills, while there was no significant difference (P>0.05) in health literacy, health knowledge and concept literacy, healthy life style and behavior. The scores of health skills literacy of students with different average consumption per month from high to low were as follows:1000-1499 Yuan RMB,500～999 Yuan RMB,1500-1999 Yuan RMB,>2000 Yuan RMB,<500 Yuan RMB respectively.9. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) among students with different level of father’s education and maternal education in the passing rates of health literacy, health knowledge and concept, healthy lifestyle and behavior literacy and health skills.10. The participants could answer above 50% questions correctly. Correct answers of only 15% of questions were lower than 50%. The awareness of issues like maternal health, chronic diseases and infectious diseases was low.11. Logistic regression analysis indicated that specialties was the influencing factor on overall level, three dimensions of health literacy and six categories of health literacy. Gender and student category were the influencing factors on health skills literacy, safety and aid literacy, health information literacy, and gender was also the influencing factor on healthy lifestyle and behavior literacy, scientific health views literacy.Conclusion:1. The overall level of postgraduate students’health literacy remains to be improved furthermore, and there was imbalance among the three dimensions of health literacy. Postgraduate students generally had health knowledge and concept literacy in the three dimensions, while having the lowest passing rate in health skills literacy. There were also differences in six categories of health literacy, and the passing rates of scientific health views and safety and aid literacy were relatively high, while the passing rate of basic medical literacy was lowest.2. There was a positive correlation among the three dimensions of health literacy.3. The main factors affecting health literacy of postgraduate students were gender, specialties and student category. Female students exhibited higher levels of health literacy than male students. Medicine students had higher health literacy level than liberal arts students, engineering students and science students. And doctoral students had higher health literacy level than master students.4. Postgraduate students had a good understanding of the knowledge about mental health problems, AIDS prevention, influenza prevention and knew well in fire escaping and the first aid for gas poisoning, but lacked of the knowledge like maternal health, chronic diseases, infectious diseases.5. On the basis of our finding, university should reinforce health education, especially play more attention on improving the modes and methods of health education, expanding the knowledge structure of postgraduate students and exam the level of postgraduate students’ health literacy regularly. Meanwhile, starting with family and society, by using various resources, health educators also should build a good environment and atmosphere to improve health literacy of postgraduate students.