Association of the health literacy and the incidence of injuries among Chinese middle school students in five provinces

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between health literacy (HL) and the incidence of injuries in middle school students in China. Methods: From November 2013 to February 2014, middle school students in Liaoning, Henan, and Guangdong provinces, Chongqing municipality, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were selected by using cluster sampling method. A total of 27 044 questionnaires were issued and 25 378 questionnaires were valid. According to the Chinese Adolescent Interactive Health Literacy Questionnaire (CAIHLQ), scores were conducted a tripartite group. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between HL and injuries. Results: The scores of CAIHLQ were 103.55±23.91 among 25 378 students. The detection rate of self-injuries and unintentional injuries was 27.5% (n=6 971) and 47.8% (n=12 119). Compared with the students with high HL, the OR (95%CI) values of self-injuries among students with low and middle HL were 2.56 (2.35-2.79) and 1.96 (1.81-2.12). Compared with the students with high HL, the OR (95%CI) values of unintentional injuries among students with low and middle HL were 1.63 (1.53-1.73) and 1.47 (1.37-1.58). Conclusion: The risk of self-injuries and unintentional injuries of middle school students is related to HL.