Machi Suka1, Takeshi Odajima2, Masako Okamoto3, Masahiko Sumitani4, Ataru Igarashi5, Hirono Ishikawa6, Makiko Kusama7, Michiko Yamamoto8, Takeo Nakayama9, Hiroki Sugimori10. 1. Department of Public Health and Environmental Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: suka@jikei.ac.jp. 2. Japanese Red Cross Kanto-Koshinetsu Block Blood Center, Tokyo, Japan. 3. Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. 4. Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. 5. Department of Drug Policy and Management, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. 6. Department of Health Communication, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. 7. Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Regulatory Science, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. 8. Education Center for Clinical Pharmacy Practice, Showa Pharmaceutical University, Tokyo, Japan. 9. Department of Health Informatics, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Kyoto, Japan. 10. Department of Preventive Medicine, Graduate School of Sports and Health Sciences, Daito Bunka University, Saitama, Japan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between health literacy (HL), health information access, health behavior, and health status in Japanese people. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted at six healthcare facilities in Japan. Eligible respondents aged 20-64 years (n=1218) were included. Path analysis with structural equation modeling was performed to test the hypothesis model linking HL to health information access, health behavior, and health status. RESULTS: The acceptable fitting model indicated that the pathways linking HL to health status consisted of two indirect paths; one intermediated by health information access and another intermediated by health behavior. Those with higher HL as measured by the 14-item Health Literacy Scale (HLS-14) were significantly more likely to get sufficient health information from multiple sources, less likely to have risky habits of smoking, regular drinking, and lack of exercise, and in turn, more likely to report good self-rated health. CONCLUSION: HL was significantly associated with health information access and health behavior in Japanese people. HL may play a key role in health promotion, even in highly educated countries like Japan. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: In order to enhance the effects of health promotion interventions, health professionals should aim at raising HL levels of their target population groups.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between health literacy (HL), health information access, health behavior, and health status in Japanese people. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted at six healthcare facilities in Japan. Eligible respondents aged 20-64 years (n=1218) were included. Path analysis with structural equation modeling was performed to test the hypothesis model linking HL to health information access, health behavior, and health status. RESULTS: The acceptable fitting model indicated that the pathways linking HL to health status consisted of two indirect paths; one intermediated by health information access and another intermediated by health behavior. Those with higher HL as measured by the 14-item Health Literacy Scale (HLS-14) were significantly more likely to get sufficient health information from multiple sources, less likely to have risky habits of smoking, regular drinking, and lack of exercise, and in turn, more likely to report good self-rated health. CONCLUSION: HL was significantly associated with health information access and health behavior in Japanese people. HL may play a key role in health promotion, even in highly educated countries like Japan. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: In order to enhance the effects of health promotion interventions, health professionals should aim at raising HL levels of their target population groups.
Authors: Anne Cattagni Kleiner; Brigitte Santos-Eggimann; Sarah Fustinoni; Laurence Seematter-Bagnoud Journal: Int J Public Health Date: 2017-06-16 Impact factor: 3.380
Authors: Xuewei Chen; Heather Orom; Jennifer L Hay; Erika A Waters; Elizabeth Schofield; Yuelin Li; Marc T Kiviniemi Journal: J Rural Health Date: 2018-11-16 Impact factor: 4.333