Assessment of Health Literacy of Members of Self-help Groups of Women in an Urban Area of Mysore District
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Health literacy is an important tool in health care requiring rigorous measurement. Assessing health literacy is crucial for understanding an individual’s ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Objective: (1) To assess health literacy among women belonging to self-help groups. (2) To find out the association between sociodemographic profile and health literacy. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done among women belonging to different self-help groups aged between 18 and 70 years in a span of 2 months using purposive sampling using a semistructured questionnaire which included their sociodemographic profile and health literacy scoring using HLS EU Q47 (European Health Literacy Survey) that generate comprehensive profiles of the health literacy of individuals and groups. Results: A total of 200 women belonging to different self-help groups and with a mean age of 39.23 ± 10.92 years participated. Health literacy index and mean health score + standard deviation for each of the dimensions were calculated separately and overall mean score is 2.41 ± 0.50 and health literacy index of 23.55 ± 8.49 which is inadequate. Age group, religion, socioeconomic status, and type of family were associated to overall health literacy index. The association between the type of family and indices of all dimensions was statistically significant. Other variables found to be statistically associated with either of the dimensions are religion, socioeconomic status, and marital status. Conclusion: Overall, the general health literacy index was inadequate, with the lowest score for disease prevention. The relationship between lower socioeconomic status and educational level with health literacy identifies potential target populations for interventions.
Institution: JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4409143339