Health Literacy in Disease Prevention and Control among Health Personnel in Nakhon Ratchasima Province in 2021

Abstract

Health literacy of disease prevention and control among health personnel in Nakhon Ratchasima province in 2021 was a cross-sectional study in which data were collected from 250 residents. The participants were selected using simple random sampling, and questionnaires were utilized to gather information. The questionnaires comprised general information, health literacy in disease prevention and control, and awareness of the organizational climate. Descriptive statistics were calculated as percentages (%), mean (), standard deviation (S.D.), and Chi-Square were used to analyze the factors associated with health literacy. The results showed that 42.5% of the participants had a low level of health literacy in disease prevention and control. The overall health literacy in the two topics, accessing skill and understanding skill, was moderate (62.6% and 60.7% respectively). However, questioning skills, making decision skills, and applying skills were found to be at a low level, with percentages of 48.0%, 53.4%, and 60.7% respectively. The participants displayed high mean scores in the 10 dimensions of health literacy organization atmosphere ( = 41.24, S.D. = 5.48), with the leader aspect obtaining the highest average score of 4.37. The study indicated that age, educational level, level of contact with service recipients, and working period were significantly associated with health literacy (p < 0.05). These personal characteristics resulted in different interests, motivations, and requirements. To address these findings, public health programs should be developed and implemented to improve officers' health knowledge. These programs should cater to all age groups and contribute to three levels of development: functional health literacy, interactive health literacy, and critical health literacy. Encouraging agencies to have a profound knowledge of health can also play a crucial role in enhancing health literacy among health personnel.