Survey of health literacy among urban and rural residents in Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province

Objective To understand health literacy of urban and rural residents in Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province,and to provide evidence for developing related policies and measures.Methods 6841 urban and rural residents aged 15-69 years old from Suzhou City were selected by cluster sampling and investigated by health literacy questionnaires.Results The proportion of residents who held health literacy was 21.5%.The proportions of residents who held basic knowledge and concept,health lifestyles and behaviors,and health skills were 35.5%,16.6% and 46.9% respectively.The health literacy rate of urban residents was higher than that of rural residents.The younger's health literacy was better than the elder's.The results of this survey also showed that the higher the education level,the higher health literacy rate.The health literacy rates among residents whose income ranged from 5000 RMB to 9999 RMB were higher than the rates among low-income residents and residents whose income was over 10 000 RMB.Conclusion The health literacy rates were different in different urban and rural residents of Suzhou City.The intervention strategies and measures of health literacy should be based on the characteristics of populations.