Survey on health literacy status among rural residents in Anhui Province in 2008

Objective To learn the current status of health literacy and its influencing factors among rural residents in Anhui Province,and to provide the evidence for the future plan on health education and promotion in rural areas.Methods Multi-stage cluster random sampling was used to select 1501 rural residents aged 15-69 years old in Anhui Province,and face-to-face interview was used to collect information with the questionnaire of health literacy designed by Ministry of Health.Results The overall rate of health literacy was 1.27%.The rates of three dimensions as the health knowledge and attitude,the healthy lifestyle and behaviors,and the basic health skills among the participants were 4.26%,2.53%,and 7.73%,respectively,and these rates among male residents were higher than those among female residents(P 0.05).The rate of health literacy of preventing chronic diseases was very low,which was 0.73%.Conclusion The overall rate of health literacy among rural residents in Anhui Province was very low.The health literacy level of healthy lifestyle and behaviors and preventing chronic diseases should be improved.