Sociodemographic Factors and Health Literacy Among Hypertensive Patients in a Health Centre in West Africa: A Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52609/jmlph.v6i3.299Keywords:
Age Factors, Health Literacy, Hypertension, Patients, West AfricaAbstract
Background: Health literacy refers to the skills that enable individuals to make informed decisions to maintain their health.
Aim: This study aimed to determine the association between sociodemographic factors and health literacy in hypertensive patients.
Method: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted in the Cardiology Unit of Abidjan’s National Institute of Public Health, from June to September 2024. Health literacy was assessed using the Health Literacy Questionnaire covering nine dimensions, the first five on a 4-point scale and the last four on a 5-point scale. Mean scores were calculated for each dimension, and the patients’ sociodemographic characteristics were studied.
Results: A total of 431 participants were included, with a mean age of 55.83 ± 11 years. The lowest scores were for ‘Social support for health’ and ‘Navigating the healthcare system’. In contrast, ‘Appraisal of health information’ and ‘Understanding health information’ scored highest. Among the first five dimensions of health literacy, an association was found between dimension 1 and gender, while among the last four dimensions, marital status was associated with dimension 7. Moreover, educational level was associated with all nine dimensions.
Conclusion: Strengthening social support and health system navigation skills could improve the health literacy of hypertensive patients, while educational level is the sociodemographic factor that most strongly influences health literacyamong this cohort.
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