Levels of Health Literacy and Associated Factors Among Adults in a Rural Municipality of Nepal: A Cross-sectional Study

• Published in: Journal of community health 2024-10, Vol.49 (5), p.879-886
• Main Authors: Niroula, Sandhya, Bhattarai, Gaurab, Bhusal, Sandesh, Pandey, Anjila, Shah, Sangam, Wagle, Subash, Mandal, Prince, Parajuli, Dikshya, Jha, Aarya, Dhakal, Bikrant, Bhandari, Buna, Paudel, Kiran, Adhikari, Tara Ballav
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Age; Aged; Community and Environmental Psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Ethics; Female; Health Conditions; Health education; Health literacy; Health Literacy - statistics & numerical data; Health promotion; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Health Status; Humans; Literacy; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Municipalities; Nepal; Original Paper; Psychometrics; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Socioeconomic Factors; Well being; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0094-5145; 1573-3610; 1573-3610
• DOI: 10.1007/s10900-024-01375-0

Health literacy is crucial in maintaining good health and well-being, yet community-based studies on health literacy in Nepal are scarce. This study aimed to assess the level of health literacy and identify associated factors among adults in Rasuwa, Nepal. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 253 adults aged above 18 years residing in Kalika Rural Municipality, Rasuwa. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Psychometric Assessment of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16). Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate independent correlates of health literacy levels. The mean ± SD age of participants was 46.3 ± 16 years. Only about a quarter (23.3%) of participants had adequate health literacy. The participants aged ≤ 45 years (aOR:1.9,95% CI: 1.0-3.6), people who perceived their health status as satisfactory (aOR: 3.1,95% CI: 1.5–6.3), had satisfactory self-rated financial status (aOR: 2.9,95% CI: 1.5–5.5), had satisfactory level of self- related esteem (aOR = 2.7,95% CI: 1.2–6.2), had a stable income (aOR = 1.9, 95% CI:1.0-3.5) were more likely to demonstrate adequate health literacy level. Conversely, illiterate participants (aOR: 0.1, 95% CI: 0.04–0.4) and those engaged in agriculture (aOR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.2–0.9) had lower odds of having adequate health literacy. This study highlights inadequate health literacy status among approximately three-quarters of the participants. Factors such as age, self-rated health status, financial stability, self-esteem, and income were associated with health literacy levels. These findings underscore the importance of addressing socio-economic and individual factors in promoting health literacy initiatives, particularly targeting vulnerable populations, to improve overall health outcomes and healthcare utilization.