An Investigation into Health Literacy and Extracurricular Reading Habits: The Case of Students at Abadan University of Medical Sciences in Iran

Abstract

Background: The process of developing health literacy (HL) begins in childhood and embraces several skills and experiences. Individuals need these skills to properly manage their health and interact with healthcare systems. Although studies considering HL and its related variables are extensive in volume and informative in results, it seems necessary to add more to the field by addressing the issue among students of medicine. Objectives: The present study aimed to check the level of HL and extracurricular reading habits among students of medicine, how they obtain health information, the relationship between their HL and their extracurricular reading habits, and the relationship between extracurricular reading habits and each of the five aspects of HL. Methods: The participants (N = 220) were studying at Abadan University of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran. The data were collected using the Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA) questionnaire (Montazeri et al., 2015) and a questionnaire developed by the researchers. Results: The findings suggest that extracurricular studying positively correlated with reading health information, reaching health information, and using health information for the respondents of the present study. There was also a significant difference between the extracurricular reading habits and the HL of respondents. However, extracurricular studying and their appraisal of health information did not positively correlate. Furthermore, the Internet was the first source of information for the respondents. Conclusions: The aforementioned results might direct health policymakers’ attention to the HL concerns that medical students need and the ways that they immediately hang on to reach information (i.e., the Internet).