Evaluation of Health Literacy and Associated Factors Among Adults Living in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Alahmadi, Yaser M.

doi:10.1177/00469580231161428

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…5 It has been noticed that those who have low HL may struggle to understand the medical information read or the medical instructions they were given; thus, they lack proper understanding of their own diseases and treatments, which can result in the development of chronic diseases that will require much more expenditure. 14 The inappropriate use of EDs places an enormous strain on the healthcare system. 15 Enhancing patient knowledge may alleviate this strain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Health Literacy and Emergency Department Utilization in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aljahany,

Doumi,

Alhuthail

et al. 2024

RMHP

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Health literacy (HL) is the degree in which individuals are able to access, comprehend, and use publicly available health resources and services. A previous study was done in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) assessing the prevalence of HL, the study shows that almost half of KSA residents had limited HL. Most studies that show the level of HL and its relationship to emergency department (ED) utilization were conducted outside KSA. This study aims to assess the association between HL and utilization of ED services and to estimate the prevalence, factors, and outcomes of low HL in KSA. Patients and methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among 903 participants in KSA over a period of 2 months (April and May 2023) using an online survey. Participants were asked about sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, nationality, marital status, education, work status, income), associated factors (chronic diseases, psychiatric disorders, Covid-19 infection, Covid-19 vaccination, ED visits), and Health Literacy (read, access, understand, evaluation, decision). A health literacy instrument for adults (HELIA), which consists of the previously mentioned five subscales, was used to estimate the level of HL and its association with the risk factors. Results: Almost 529 (58.58%) and 374 (41.42%) had limited HL and adequate HL, respectively. Participants with limited HL were mostly aged 35-45 years (61.7%), men (p < 0.05) (68.9%), divorced (65.9%), non-Saudi (69.6%), and had elementary level of education (66.7%). Participants with adequate HL had master's and PhD degree (48.1%), were healthcare students or graduates (62.8%, p < 0.05), had an income >30 thousand riyals (55.6%, p < 0.05), were previously infected with COVID-19 (43%), and did not visit ED in the preceding year (42.3%). Conclusion:A high prevalence of low HL among KSA residents was observed. There was no significant difference in ED utilization between participants who had adequate and limited HL.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Health Literacy and Emergency Department Utilization in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aljahany,

Doumi,

Alhuthail

et al. 2024

RMHP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…For example, preliminary research has found that nearly half of the world’s population (46%) has limited HL [ 15 ]. Other statistics from the Saudi population revealed that 54.4% of Saudis lack HL [ 16 ]. Age, sex, and education of individuals were correlated with HL.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating Health Literacy and Practices: A Cross-Sectional Study on Nursing Undergraduates in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Qhadi,

Albothi,

Fallatah

et al. 2023

Med Sci Monit

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Background This study aimed to assess the health literacy (HL) and health practices (HP) among nursing undergraduates at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Material/Methods A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted in 2023 to assess how nursing students perceive HL and HP. HL is the ability of individuals to acquire, interpret, assess, and act on information to promote and maintain good health, while HP involves the application of knowledge and skills. HL was assessed using a total of 16 items, subdivided into 4 domains (understanding, evaluating, accessing, and utilizing health information) while HP was assessed using 11 items on a 5-point Likert scale. Results In this study, 53.9% of the students were found to have poor HP, while 40.9% (n=166) reported moderate HP, and 5.2% (n=21) reported good HP. With regards to HL, 38.9% (n=158) of students were found to have good HL while 52.2% (n=212) reported moderate HL, and 8.9% (n=36) reported poor HL. The findings indicated that there was a relationship between age and HP, indicating that age is a major predictor of HP ( P =0.001). Other comparisons, including year of study, income source, marital status, and the prevalence of chronic conditions, were discovered to have a significant relationship ( P =0.001) with HP levels. Conclusions According to these findings, most students reported poor HP, while one-third claimed good HL. Therefore, there is a need to address the factors related to poor HP while also recommending methods to support good HP among students.

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Understanding of Health literacy among Healthcare students in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Alqahtani,

Bashatah,

Asiri

et al. 2024

BMC Med Educ

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Background and objective Health literacy is the cognitive and social abilities that influence a person’s motivation and capacity to learn, comprehend, and use information to improve and maintain good health. We aimed to investigate Healthcare Students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding Health Literacy in the Riyadh Province of Saudi Arabia. Methods This study used prevalidated electronic questionnaires among healthcare undergraduates from colleges affiliated with Saudi University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from December to April 2024. Healthcare students were asked to answer a self-designed online questionnaire sent to them through social media platforms. Results The response rate was 560 out of 600 (93.3%); 293 of the 560 students (52.3%) were aged between 23 and 24 years (mean age was 21.29 SD = 1.852). The mean GPA among the students was 4.31(± 0.682). The average overall score for health literacy among healthcare students was 100.92 ± 11.80. The mean scores for knowledge were 24.17 ± 4.67, attitudes were 38.65 ± 4.20, and practice in health literacy was 38.09 ± 5.09. Among all healthcare students, 50.2% reported good knowledge, 54.1% had good attitudes, and 50.1% exhibited good practices in health literacy. However, students’ knowledge (p = 0.019) and training (p = 0.024) in health literacy were significantly associated with smoking cigarettes. Additionally, smoking shisha was significantly associated with students’ knowledge (p = 0.022), attitudes (p = 0.001), and practices (p = 0.001) in health literacy. Conclusion Our study highlights that half of the healthcare students reported limited knowledge, attitude, and practice in health literacy. Age, gender, and course of study did not show significant differences. Rather, students who did not smoke cigarettes or shisha were found to have higher knowledge, attitudes, and practice in health literacy compared to smokers. However, to improve health literacy, additional education and increased awareness are needed. Further investigation is warranted to address the factors related to poor health literacy.

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Evaluation of Health Literacy and Associated Factors Among Adults Living in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Cited by 5 publications

References 28 publications

Public Health Literacy and Emergency Department Utilization in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Public Health Literacy and Emergency Department Utilization in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Navigating Health Literacy and Practices: A Cross-Sectional Study on Nursing Undergraduates in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Understanding of Health literacy among Healthcare students in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

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