Keywords
Health literacy
prevention
public health
prevention
public health
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Health literacy refers to "the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and access health services in order to make informed choices." In essence, being able to acquire, understand, and use information for one's own health.
METHODS
Observational study through the administration of a face-to-face questionnaire conducted between July and September 2020 on 260 individuals residing between Calabria and Sicily, aged between 18 and 89 years. Questions related to education, lifestyle (alcohol, smoking, and physical activity). Multiple-choice questions to assess health literacy and conceptual skills, ability to find information on health topics and services, use of preventive medicine especially vaccinations, and ability to make decisions about one's own health.
RESULTS
Of 260, 43% were male and 57% female. The most represented age group is between 50 and 59 years. Forty-eight percent of respondents had a high school diploma. 39% smoke and 32% habitually consume alcoholic beverages; only 40% engage in physical activity. Ten percent had a low level of health literacy, average 55%, adequate 35%.
CONCLUSIONS
Given the importance of adequate HL on health choices and on individual and public wellbeing, it is essential to expand the knowledge of the individual, through public and private information campaigns and with an increasing involvement of family physicians, who are fundamental in training and informing their patients.
References
REFERENCES
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[2] #HealthInSDGs Policy brief 4: Health literacy 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion, Shanghai 2016. Available at: https://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/9gchp/policy-brief1-healthy-cities.pdf?ua=1 Accessed on 23/08/2021
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[6] Hersh L, Salzman B, Snyderman D. Health Literacy in Primary Care Practice. Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(2):118-124
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[8] La Fauci V, Squeri R, Genovese C, Alessi V, Facciolà A. The 'Dangerous Cocktail': an epidemiological survey on the attitude of a population of pregnant women towards some pregnancy risk factors. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2020 Apr;40(3):330-335. doi: 10.1080/01443615.2019.1621818. Epub 2019 Aug 2. PMID: 31373265
[9] Facciolà A, Squeri R, Genovese C, Alessi V, La Fauci V. Perception of rubella risk in pregnancy: an epidemiological survey on a sample of pregnant women. Ann Ig. 2019 Mar-Apr;31(2 Supple 1):65-71. doi: 10.7416/ai.2019.227. PMID: 30994165
[10] Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Health Literacy. Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion. Nielsen-Bohlman L, Panzer AM, Kindig DA, editors. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2004. PMID: 25009856.
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[14] Bonaccorsi G, Lastrucci V, Vettori V, Lorini C. Functional health literacy in a population-based sample in Florence: a cross-sectional study using the Newest Vital Sign. BMJ Open. 2019 Jun 19;9(6):e026356. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026356.
[15] Pelikan JM, Ganahl K. Measuring health literacy in general populations: primary findings from the HLS-EU Consortium’s health literacy assessment effort. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2017;240:34–59. doi: 10.3233/978-1-61499-790-0-34.
[16] Eurostat. 2019. How often do you see a doctor? Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20190225-1 Accessed on 23/08/2021
[17] C Genovese, V La Fauci, GB Costa, A Buda, S Nucera, GM Antonuccio, ... A potential outbreak of measles and chickenpox among healthcare workers in a university hospital. EMBJ 14 (10), 045-048
[18] Sansom-Daly UM, Lin M, Robertson EG, Wakefield CE, McGill BC, Girgis A, Cohn RJ. Health Literacy in Adolescents and Young Adults: An Updated Review. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2016 Jun;5(2):106-18. doi: 10.1089/jayao.2015.0059. Epub 2016 Feb 9. PMID: 26859721.
[19] La Fauci V, Alessi V, Assefa DZ, Lo Giudice D, Calimeri S, Ceccio C, Antonuccio GM, Genovese C, Squeri R. Mediterranean diet: knowledge and adherence in Italian young people. Clin Ter. 2020 Sep-Oct;171(5):e437-e443. doi: 10.7417/CT.2020.2254. PMID: 32901789
[20] La Fauci V, Squeri R, Lo Giudice D, Calimeri S, Alessi V, Antonuccio GM, Genovese C. Nutritional Disorders And Related Risk Factors In A Cohort Of Young Mediterranean Population. Euromediterranean Biomedical Journal. 2021,16 (02) 05-09.
[21] R Squeri, C Genovese, MAR Palamara, G Trimarchi, C Ceccio, V Donia, ...An observational study on the effects of early and late risk factors on the development of childhood obesity in the South of Italy.Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health 15 (4)
[22] LA Fauci V, Squeri R, Spataro P, Genovese C, Laudani N, Alessi V. Young people, young adults and binge drinking. J Prev Med Hyg. 2019 Dec 20;60(4):E376-E385. doi: 10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2019.60.4.1309. eCollection 2019 Dec. PMID: 31967096
[23] La Fauci V, Mondello S, Squeri R, Alessi V, Genovese C, Laudani N, Cattaruzza MS. Family, lifestyles and new and old type of smoking in young adults: insights from an italian multiple-center study. Annali Ig,03/2021
[24] World Health Organization, Antibiotic resistance. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antibiotic-resistance Accessed on 23/08/2021
[25] V La Fauci, V Alessi. Antibiotic resistance: Where are we going? Ann Ig 30 (4), 52-57
[26] Squeri R, La Fauci V, Picerno IAM, Trimarchi G, Cannavò G, Egitto G, Cosenza B, Merlina V, Genovese C. Evaluation of Vaccination Coverages in the Health Care Workers of a University Hospital in Southern Italy. Ann Ig. 2019 Mar-Apr;31(2 Supple 1):13-24. doi: 10.7416/ai.2019.2273. PMID: 30994160
[27] La Fauci V, Squeri R, Genovese C, Anzalone C, Fedele F, Squeri A, Alessi V. An observational study of university students of healthcare area: knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards vaccinations. Clin Ter. 2019 Nov-Dec;170(6):e448-e453. doi: 10.7417/CT.2019.2174. PMID: 31696908
[28] Levy H, Janke A. Health Literacy and Access to Care. J Health Commun. 2016;21 Suppl 1(Suppl):43-50. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2015.1131776. PMID: 27043757; PMCID: PMC4924568.
[29] Hersh L, Salzman B, Snyderman D. Health Literacy in Primary Care Practice. Am Fam Physician. 2015 Jul 15;92(2):118-24. PMID: 26176370.
[30] DeWalt DA, Leigh Callahan MF, Hawk VH, Kimberly Broucksou RA, Ashley Hink M, Rudd R, et al. Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit 2010.
[1] Van den Broucke, S. Health literacy: a critical concept for public health. Arch Public Health 72, 10 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/2049-3258-72-10
[2] #HealthInSDGs Policy brief 4: Health literacy 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion, Shanghai 2016. Available at: https://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/9gchp/policy-brief1-healthy-cities.pdf?ua=1 Accessed on 23/08/2021
[3] Nutbeam, D. 1998. “Health promotion glossary.” Health Promot. Int., 13 (4): 349-364. doi: 10.1093/heapro/13.4.349
[4] ECOSOC. 2009. “MINISTERIAL DECLARATION – 2009 HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT: Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to global public health.” Available at: https://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/julyhls/pdf09/ministerial_declaration-2009.pdf Accessed on 23/08/2021
[5] WHO. Measurement of and target-setting for well-being: an initiative by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. 2012. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/108617/e96764.pdf Accessed on 23/08/2021
[6] Hersh L, Salzman B, Snyderman D. Health Literacy in Primary Care Practice. Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(2):118-124
[7] Berkman ND, Sheridan SL, Donahue KE, Halpern DJ, Crotty K. Low health literacy and health outcomes: an updated systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2011;155(2):97-107. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-155-2-201107190-00005
[8] La Fauci V, Squeri R, Genovese C, Alessi V, Facciolà A. The 'Dangerous Cocktail': an epidemiological survey on the attitude of a population of pregnant women towards some pregnancy risk factors. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2020 Apr;40(3):330-335. doi: 10.1080/01443615.2019.1621818. Epub 2019 Aug 2. PMID: 31373265
[9] Facciolà A, Squeri R, Genovese C, Alessi V, La Fauci V. Perception of rubella risk in pregnancy: an epidemiological survey on a sample of pregnant women. Ann Ig. 2019 Mar-Apr;31(2 Supple 1):65-71. doi: 10.7416/ai.2019.227. PMID: 30994165
[10] Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Health Literacy. Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion. Nielsen-Bohlman L, Panzer AM, Kindig DA, editors. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2004. PMID: 25009856.
[11] Sørensen, K., Van den Broucke, S., Fullam, J. Health literacy and public health: A systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health 12, 80 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-80
[12] Kutner M., Greenberg E., Jin Y., Paulsen C., White S. The Health Literacy of America’s Adults – Results. From the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. NAAL, 2003. Report of U.S. Department of Education. NCES 2006–483
[13] Kickbusch I, Pelikan JM, Apfel F, Tsouros A. Health Literacy: The Solid Facts. Copenhagen: World Health Organization (WHO); 2013. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/128703/e96854.pdf Accessed on 23/08/2021
[14] Bonaccorsi G, Lastrucci V, Vettori V, Lorini C. Functional health literacy in a population-based sample in Florence: a cross-sectional study using the Newest Vital Sign. BMJ Open. 2019 Jun 19;9(6):e026356. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026356.
[15] Pelikan JM, Ganahl K. Measuring health literacy in general populations: primary findings from the HLS-EU Consortium’s health literacy assessment effort. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2017;240:34–59. doi: 10.3233/978-1-61499-790-0-34.
[16] Eurostat. 2019. How often do you see a doctor? Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20190225-1 Accessed on 23/08/2021
[17] C Genovese, V La Fauci, GB Costa, A Buda, S Nucera, GM Antonuccio, ... A potential outbreak of measles and chickenpox among healthcare workers in a university hospital. EMBJ 14 (10), 045-048
[18] Sansom-Daly UM, Lin M, Robertson EG, Wakefield CE, McGill BC, Girgis A, Cohn RJ. Health Literacy in Adolescents and Young Adults: An Updated Review. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2016 Jun;5(2):106-18. doi: 10.1089/jayao.2015.0059. Epub 2016 Feb 9. PMID: 26859721.
[19] La Fauci V, Alessi V, Assefa DZ, Lo Giudice D, Calimeri S, Ceccio C, Antonuccio GM, Genovese C, Squeri R. Mediterranean diet: knowledge and adherence in Italian young people. Clin Ter. 2020 Sep-Oct;171(5):e437-e443. doi: 10.7417/CT.2020.2254. PMID: 32901789
[20] La Fauci V, Squeri R, Lo Giudice D, Calimeri S, Alessi V, Antonuccio GM, Genovese C. Nutritional Disorders And Related Risk Factors In A Cohort Of Young Mediterranean Population. Euromediterranean Biomedical Journal. 2021,16 (02) 05-09.
[21] R Squeri, C Genovese, MAR Palamara, G Trimarchi, C Ceccio, V Donia, ...An observational study on the effects of early and late risk factors on the development of childhood obesity in the South of Italy.Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health 15 (4)
[22] LA Fauci V, Squeri R, Spataro P, Genovese C, Laudani N, Alessi V. Young people, young adults and binge drinking. J Prev Med Hyg. 2019 Dec 20;60(4):E376-E385. doi: 10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2019.60.4.1309. eCollection 2019 Dec. PMID: 31967096
[23] La Fauci V, Mondello S, Squeri R, Alessi V, Genovese C, Laudani N, Cattaruzza MS. Family, lifestyles and new and old type of smoking in young adults: insights from an italian multiple-center study. Annali Ig,03/2021
[24] World Health Organization, Antibiotic resistance. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antibiotic-resistance Accessed on 23/08/2021
[25] V La Fauci, V Alessi. Antibiotic resistance: Where are we going? Ann Ig 30 (4), 52-57
[26] Squeri R, La Fauci V, Picerno IAM, Trimarchi G, Cannavò G, Egitto G, Cosenza B, Merlina V, Genovese C. Evaluation of Vaccination Coverages in the Health Care Workers of a University Hospital in Southern Italy. Ann Ig. 2019 Mar-Apr;31(2 Supple 1):13-24. doi: 10.7416/ai.2019.2273. PMID: 30994160
[27] La Fauci V, Squeri R, Genovese C, Anzalone C, Fedele F, Squeri A, Alessi V. An observational study of university students of healthcare area: knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards vaccinations. Clin Ter. 2019 Nov-Dec;170(6):e448-e453. doi: 10.7417/CT.2019.2174. PMID: 31696908
[28] Levy H, Janke A. Health Literacy and Access to Care. J Health Commun. 2016;21 Suppl 1(Suppl):43-50. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2015.1131776. PMID: 27043757; PMCID: PMC4924568.
[29] Hersh L, Salzman B, Snyderman D. Health Literacy in Primary Care Practice. Am Fam Physician. 2015 Jul 15;92(2):118-24. PMID: 26176370.
[30] DeWalt DA, Leigh Callahan MF, Hawk VH, Kimberly Broucksou RA, Ashley Hink M, Rudd R, et al. Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit 2010.