Comprehensive Health Literacy Among Undergraduates: A Ghanaian University-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Background: Health literacy is the ability to access, understand, and use health information for enhancing health. Health literacy research has led to the understanding of its associations with health outcomes and health-promoting behavior. Health literacy is essential to health promotion, but a gap...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SLACK Incorporated
2019-10-01
|
| Series: | Health Literacy Research and Practice |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.healio.com/public-health/journals/hlrp/2019-10-3-4/%7Bc9b0efdd-6da3-4bf4-9828-a0df13f7eebf%7D/comprehensive-health-literacy-among-undergraduates-a-ghanaian-university-based-cross-sectional-study |
| _version_ | 1819071799375167488 |
|---|---|
| author | Ansu-Yeboah Evans Edusei Anthony Gulis Gabriel |
| author_facet | Ansu-Yeboah Evans Edusei Anthony Gulis Gabriel |
| author_sort | Ansu-Yeboah Evans |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Health literacy is the ability to access, understand, and use health information for enhancing health. Health literacy research has led to the understanding of its associations with health outcomes and health-promoting behavior. Health literacy is essential to health promotion, but a gap exists in the knowledge of health literacy in Ghana, especially among university students. Objective: This study aimed to ascertain the levels of health literacy and its sociodemographic determinants among undergraduate university students of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using multistage cluster sampling to select 500 students from six colleges of the University; of those, 485 were included for data analysis after exclusions. Health literacy was assessed using the 16-item short version of the European Consortium for Health Literacy Questionnaire. Key Results: About 55% of students were found to have limited health literacy (20.4% had “inadequate” health and 34.2% had “problematic” health literacy). Students performed low on health literacy dimensions dealing with the access and appraisal of health information, especially relating to mental health. Multivariate logistic regression showed that factors associated with limited health literacy differed for each gender but generally included college type, self-esteem, health status, and year of study. Conclusions: Interventions need to be implemented to improve students' health literacy. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2019;3(4):e227–e237.] |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T17:27:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e4d8d315626743bca2df4e469ecb1e41 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2474-8307 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T17:27:34Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | SLACK Incorporated |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Health Literacy Research and Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-e4d8d315626743bca2df4e469ecb1e412022-12-21T18:56:01ZengSLACK IncorporatedHealth Literacy Research and Practice2474-83072019-10-0134e227e23710.3928/24748307-20190903-01Comprehensive Health Literacy Among Undergraduates: A Ghanaian University-Based Cross-Sectional StudyAnsu-Yeboah EvansEdusei AnthonyGulis GabrielBackground: Health literacy is the ability to access, understand, and use health information for enhancing health. Health literacy research has led to the understanding of its associations with health outcomes and health-promoting behavior. Health literacy is essential to health promotion, but a gap exists in the knowledge of health literacy in Ghana, especially among university students. Objective: This study aimed to ascertain the levels of health literacy and its sociodemographic determinants among undergraduate university students of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using multistage cluster sampling to select 500 students from six colleges of the University; of those, 485 were included for data analysis after exclusions. Health literacy was assessed using the 16-item short version of the European Consortium for Health Literacy Questionnaire. Key Results: About 55% of students were found to have limited health literacy (20.4% had “inadequate” health and 34.2% had “problematic” health literacy). Students performed low on health literacy dimensions dealing with the access and appraisal of health information, especially relating to mental health. Multivariate logistic regression showed that factors associated with limited health literacy differed for each gender but generally included college type, self-esteem, health status, and year of study. Conclusions: Interventions need to be implemented to improve students' health literacy. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2019;3(4):e227–e237.]https://www.healio.com/public-health/journals/hlrp/2019-10-3-4/%7Bc9b0efdd-6da3-4bf4-9828-a0df13f7eebf%7D/comprehensive-health-literacy-among-undergraduates-a-ghanaian-university-based-cross-sectional-studyhealth literacyGhanauniversity studentsEuropean Consortium for Health Literacy Questionnaire |
| spellingShingle | Ansu-Yeboah Evans Edusei Anthony Gulis Gabriel Comprehensive Health Literacy Among Undergraduates: A Ghanaian University-Based Cross-Sectional Study Health Literacy Research and Practice health literacy Ghana university students European Consortium for Health Literacy Questionnaire |
| title | Comprehensive Health Literacy Among Undergraduates: A Ghanaian University-Based Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full | Comprehensive Health Literacy Among Undergraduates: A Ghanaian University-Based Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_fullStr | Comprehensive Health Literacy Among Undergraduates: A Ghanaian University-Based Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comprehensive Health Literacy Among Undergraduates: A Ghanaian University-Based Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_short | Comprehensive Health Literacy Among Undergraduates: A Ghanaian University-Based Cross-Sectional Study |
| title_sort | comprehensive health literacy among undergraduates a ghanaian university based cross sectional study |
| topic | health literacy Ghana university students European Consortium for Health Literacy Questionnaire |
| url | https://www.healio.com/public-health/journals/hlrp/2019-10-3-4/%7Bc9b0efdd-6da3-4bf4-9828-a0df13f7eebf%7D/comprehensive-health-literacy-among-undergraduates-a-ghanaian-university-based-cross-sectional-study |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ansuyeboahevans comprehensivehealthliteracyamongundergraduatesaghanaianuniversitybasedcrosssectionalstudy AT eduseianthony comprehensivehealthliteracyamongundergraduatesaghanaianuniversitybasedcrosssectionalstudy AT gulisgabriel comprehensivehealthliteracyamongundergraduatesaghanaianuniversitybasedcrosssectionalstudy |