Abstract
Background Despite the significance of health literacy, studies show the inadequacy of health literacy in the health system of Iran. Inadequate health literacy is considered a warning for service providers. It needs to be integrated in educational programs run in health and medical centers. Therefore, the present study was conducted to explore the barriers to health literacy in Iran health system.
Methods The present qualitative study was conducted in 2023 using a conventional content analysis. To this aim, 18 subjects were selected among urban health center staff, 21 from rural health centers, 10 health volunteers and 8 trainees for interviews and group discussions. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focal group discussions, and were simultaneously analyzed using a conventional qualitative analysis suggested by Lundman and Graneheim.
Results The data analysis led to the extraction of 4 themes: personal barriers (trainee’s inadequate competence, lack of physical or mental health, low motivational factors, wrong beliefs, contextual barriers), interpersonal barriers (healthcare providers’ misunderstanding of correct training, mal- or miscommunication in training sessions, high workload of healthcare staff, the trainer’s limited skill, underestimated role of education in behavior change, supervision and monitoring problems, low work commitment of health staff), organizational barriers (inadequate human resources, poor management, low organizational motivation) and social barriers (uninterest in learning about health issues, issues related to the Internet and cyberspace, lack of intersectoral cooperation, distrust in the health system).
Conclusion Considering the multidimensional nature of barriers for health literacy, it is recommended to make and implement a comprehensive plan to integrate efforts by health authorities and institutions, mass media, experts, decision-makers, policy-makers, and service providers to remove barriers.