Abstract
BackgroundHealth literacy and health-information seeking behaviour (HISB) play vital roles in health outcome improvements. This study examines the extent of income-related inequality in health literacy and health-information seeking as well as the contributions of the main socioeconomic determinants in China.MethodsWe analysed representative data of participants aged over 18 years as well as older adults from the Guangzhou Community Health Survey. A concentration index (CI) was used to quantify the degree of income-related inequity in health literacy and health-information seeking. Probit regression models were employed to decompose the CI into the contributions to each factor.ResultsResults showed a significant pro-rich distribution of adequate health literacy (CI: 0.0602, P < 0.001; horizontal index [HI]: 0.0562, P < 0.001) and HISB from healthcare professionals (CI: 0.105, P < 0.001; HI: 0.0965, P < 0.001). The pro-rich distribution of health literacy was mainly attributable to education background (contribution: 54.76%), whereas income inequalities contributed most to the pro-rich distribution of health-information seeking among an urban population (contribution: 62.53%).ConclusionPublic interventions in China to reduce inequality in health literacy and HISBs among the urban population, coupled with easily accessible information sources on health, warrant further attention from policymakers.
Highlights
Health literacy and health-information seeking behaviour (HISB) play vital roles in health outcome improvements
We examined the inequality and inequity in health literacy and information seeking from healthcare professionals in China, using representative, cross-sectional household survey data
This study examined factors associated with health literacy and health information seeking among an urban population of Chinese adults
Summary
Health literacy and health-information seeking behaviour (HISB) play vital roles in health outcome improvements. With a growing ageing population and prevalent transition to chronic non-communicable disease, patients worldwide are increasingly encouraged and often expected to be involved in healthcare interaction with physicians [1, 2]. This requires more than just a physician verbally giving a patient the diagnosis and medication and includes interactive communication to empower patients to initiatively ask questions and seek information, informing shared decisions regarding health and healthcare. Studies observed an array of socioeconomic disparity related to low health literacy and improper health-information seeking [9]. In an attempt to ensure equitable access to healthcare services, many policymakers striving to improve health systems have shared a goal of reducing health disparities by focusing on health literacy for those who have the same needs for healthcare, regardless of their socioeconomic background [10,11,12]
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