Level of health literacy of Leisure Time Monitors and its relationship with health variables

Abstract

Abstract Background: health literacy focused mainly on health care services and, to a very limited extent, on the ability to manage medical information. Low health literacy has been linked to decreased adherence to treatment, poor disease awareness, poor self-care management and poor treatment outcomes. The aim of this study is to acquire representative data on the health literacy of leisure time instructors. Methods: A cross-sectional observational design was used with a purposive sample of leisure time monitors from the Autonomous Community of Galicia. The instrument consists of two parts. The first part asks about the variables related to self-perception of health status and the second part, the HL was measured using the HLS-EU-Q47 scale. Results: Among the results, it stands out that, in spite of the youth of the leisure time educators, almost all of them report having had some health problem and only 3% have a high level of HL. There are almost no differences between the health variables with respect to the level of HL. However, the tendency is that the lower the HA, the higher the number of visits and admissions and the lower the self-perception of health, although it is necessary to expand the sample of educators who regularly visit the health services. Conclusión: The importance of accessing health information and understanding risk factors to identify the causes of a disease and make decisions is highlighted. The low level of HL of the monitors makes it difficult to implement and evaluate interventions in the non-formal educational environment. It will be important to determine lines of action for their training.