SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF HEALTH LITERACY AMONG RURAL COMMUNITIES IN RANAU DISTRICT

Abstract

Health literacy is a vital skill that everyone should have in order to find, understand and use communication and health information to improve their health. It is a crucial thing in public health which should be given attention especially in rural communities as the lack of literacy knowledge may the cause of poor health conditions. The aim of this study is to map the level of health literacy among rural communities in Ranau district. The objective of this study is to identify the distribution pattern of health literacy. Therefore, spatial analysis methods were applied to analysis data. The data were collected through questionnaires integrated into the Geographic Information System (GIS) database as an attributes data. Then, spatial analysis was conducted to identify the distribution of the health literacy. Subsequently, the study was able to visualize the geographical distributions of health literacy level data in a form of a map. The result shows that people who lived in rural areas with limited access to health information and lack of health facilities are more likely to have low health literacy compare to those lived in areas with unlimited access to health information and good health services. Hence, this study provides the data to the Public Health Department and Health Promotion division, so they could take necessary measures with reference to the high-risk areas. This information could effectively be used in communicating with, and as well as educating the public on awareness, prevention, and better healthcare to enhance the quality of life among communities, mainly in rural areas.