Evaluation of health literacy and its associated factors in paramedical students

Abstract

Abstract Background Low levels of health literacy lead to reduced health, increased length of hospital stays, and increased use of emergency services in patients and impose higher medical costs on individuals. Considering the effect of paramedical students' health literacy on community health promotion, this study aimed to determine the level of health literacy and its associated factors in paramedical students. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed on 310 paramedical students during a two-month period from January to March 2021. The data collection tool was the Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA) questionnaire. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the questionnaire was designed online, and its link was provided to students. Results Among the participants, 247 (79.7%) cases were female, and 63 (20.3%) cases were male with a mean age of 21.16 ± 1.97 years. According to the results, 3.9% of the students had inadequate health literacy, 37.3% had not so adequate health literacy, 46.6% had adequate health literacy, and 12.2% had excellent health literacy. The results of ANOVA and t-test showed a significant association between the mean total health literacy score of students and their age, gender, and semester (P < 0.05). Conclusion This study findings showed that more than half of the participating students had adequate and excellent levels of health literacy. Since paramedical students are promoters of health in the community, more attention should be paid to the education of these individuals. Therefore, it is necessary to empower them in the field of health literacy.