Abstract:

Objective: Health literacy is seen as one of the important issues in the field of public health because of its effects on individuals' health outcomes. In this study, the objective was to determine the levels of health literacy and related factors in individuals who applied to Deliatash Family Health Center in Uşak city center. Materials and Methods: The research was carried out in Dykilitaş Family Health Center located in the center of Uşak province. The study group consisted of individuals aged between 18 and 65, who were literate, had no communication problems, accepted to participate in the study and applied to the Family Health Center between 05-30 April 2018 for health services (N = 605). Turkish Health Literacy Scale (THLS) with 32 items was applied. The obtained data were evaluated using SPSS 22.0 (Statistical Package for Social Science) program for conducting descriptive statistics, Student's t test and chi-square test. Results: The average age of the study group was 41,1 ± 13,7 (18-71). When examining the health literacy status scores; slightly more than half of the participants (51.7%) were in the inadequate health literacy category. Only 17.2% had adequate and excellent health literacy. Health literacy general index score average were found to be 25,0 ± 9,3 for women and 24,8 ± 9,5 for men. Conclusion: Health Literacy is inadequate in our country as it is in many countries, and the number of scientific studies conducted in this area is also low. In order to strengthen communication among the community, information campaigns should be organized on access to accurate health information. The development of patient information materials for patients with chronic diseases and disadvantaged community groups should be among the primary areas of study.

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