Abstract
Health literacy is progressively seen as an indicator to describe a nation’s health status. To improve health literacy, countries need to address health inequalities by examining different social demographic factors across the population. This assessment is crucial to identify and evaluate the strengths and limitations of a country in addressing health issues. By addressing these health inequalities, a country would be better informed to take necessary steps to improve the nation’s health literacy. This study examines health literacy levels in Malaysia and analyses socio-demographic factors that are associated with health literacy. A cross-sectional survey was carried out using the HLS-M-Q18 instrument, which was validated for the Malaysian population. Multi-stage random sampling strategy was used in this study, utilising several sampling techniques including quota sampling, cluster sampling, and simple random sampling to allow random data collection. A total of 855 respondents were sampled. Our results showed that there were significant associations between health literacy and age, health status, and health problems. Our findings also suggest that lower health literacy levels were associated with the younger generation. This study’s findings have provided baseline data on Malaysians’ health literacy and provide evidence showing potential areas of intervention.
Highlights
Worldwide interest in studying health literacy is increasing as health promoters and practitioners recognise its significance in reducing illness [1] and improving quality of life [2]
In terms of health status, our findings reveal that people who perceived themselves to have poor health were less likely to have adequate health literacy
The HLS-M-Q18 has enabled the measurement of health literacy in line with current global standards
Summary
Worldwide interest in studying health literacy is increasing as health promoters and practitioners recognise its significance in reducing illness [1] and improving quality of life [2]. The benefits of health literacy extend beyond individual health care to include effective disease prevention in society, as well as improving health promotion in general. Health literacy is a concept that extends beyond health education. It addresses social and environmental factors that influence individual ability to engage with health information, to make informed decisions, and to utilise health services to benefit them and their surroundings. Studies have emphasised a variety of health literacy benefits to society [3] and reported risks of populations with low health literacy [4].
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