How to improve public health literacy based on polycentric public goods theory: preferences of the Chinese general population

Abstract

Background In the current era of big data, it is critical to address people’s demand for health literacy. At present, the traditional mode of communicating scientific health knowledge and information technology is interchangeable, resulting in the emergence of a new mode of communicating health literacy. To publicize health education and health literacy in a targeted way, to meet the public’s needs, and to understand how the public’s demand for subjects, contents, and forms of health literacy service has changed in the era of COVID-19, the investigation of public’s demand for health information and health literacy was conducted. Objective This study aims to understand the differences in demand for health literacy service providers, contents, channels, forms, and facilities among Chinese citizens with different genders, ages, education levels, economic conditions, and living environments, and to provide reasonable recommendations for developing public health literacy. Methods Questionnaire Star was used to conduct a large sample of random online surveys. In Wuhan, Hubei Province, 2184 questionnaires were issued, 8 invalid questionnaires were eliminated, and 2176 were recovered, with an effective rate of 99.6%. IBM SPSS Statistics 20 was utilized to analyze the survey data. Results (1) In health literacy service providers selected by the public, the proportion of government departments or government collaboration with other institutions exceeded 73%, indicating that health literacy services are public goods; (2) access to health literacy services was lower in township areas than in urban areas (P < 0.001, 3) internet media and communicating with acquaintances, which have the highest popularity rate, were also the two channels that were least trusted by the public; and (4) the differences in contents and service channels of health literacy among residents with different genders, ages, education levels, economic status, and living environments were statistically significant. Conclusions (1) It is recommended to establish an integrated health literacy service model with multi-center supply. Government departments, medical institutions, and media should cooperate effectively to provide health literacy services. (2) The government should pay attention to the fairness of health education and strengthen the supply of health literacy services in township areas. (3) It is critical to strengthen the public’s ability to discriminate network information and pay attention to scientific thinking cultivation. (4) Health literacy service providers must focus on the differences between public demands and improve the connotation of health literacy services.

Socio-demographic, agricultural, and personal protective factors in relation to health literacy among farmers from all regions of Thailand

“…were the most effective ways to transfer health messages to people with low levels of HL ( 33 ). The government, media, and relevant organizations should collaborate effectively to provide HL services and focus on fairness of health education ( 34 ).…”

The Application of Artificial Intelligence in Health Policy: A Scoping Review

“…Some researchers are working on situational awareness for the real-time perception of environmental conditions in public health emergencies using methods such as data collection, data fusion, and data mining [32]. One study pointed to the era of big data and the necessity of publicizing health education and health literacy in a targeted way to meet the public's needs and to understand how the public's demand for subjects, contents, and forms of health literacy service change in some situations such as the era of COVID-19 [33]. In the context of macroeconomics, AI helps identify innovative economic policy measures that can be applied before an epidemic [34].…”

“…These methods help public health decision-makers and health professionals to create collaborative learning environments that engage bene ciaries [63]. For example, by forecasting the behavior of epidemic outbreaks [64] or promoting health literacy development, we can courage each citizen to be responsible for their health, guide people to establish a correct health perspective, form a healthy lifestyle, ecological environment, social environment, and prevent public problems caused by diseases before they happen [33]. One study indicates an increasing trend of user engagement on public health posts in recent years.…”

Health Literacy Among University Students in Shaanxi Province of China: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…34 When carrying out specific educational programmes, emphasis should be placed on strengthening university students' first aid skills and psychological adjustment awareness by combining online and offline methods, and special attention should be paid to students from rural areas. 35,36 This study has certain limitations. The questionnaire used in this study is independently designed, which may have shortcomings in terms of authority.…”