A STUDY ON DETERMINING THE LEVEL OF HEALTH LITERACY IN THE PROVINCE OF ISTANBUL

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the health literacy level of individuals between the ages of 18-70 living in Istanbul and to determine the related factors. The data of the study conducted with 400 volunteer participants were collected with the "Descriptive Characteristics Information Form" and "Turkey Health Literacy Scale-32 (TSOY-32)". SPSS 27.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) program was used in the analysis of the data. Statistical significance level was accepted as α=0.05. According to the results of the research, it was determined that 29.5% of the participants were inadequate, 44.25% had problematic/limited, 17.5% adequate and 8.75% had excellent health literacy. In addition, the overall score of the treatment and service dimension is higher than the general score of the dimension of prevention from diseases and health promotion. No significant difference was determined between the income level and occupational groups of the participants; It was determined that other sociodemographic characteristics significantly affected health literacy. Individuals' health literacy levels are problematic/limited, and necessary studies should be carried out to increase it.