Levels of Health Literacy and Associated Factors Among Adults in a Rural Municipality of Nepal: A Cross-sectional Study.

ABSTRACT

Health literacy is crucial in maintaining good health and well-being, yet community-based studies on health literacy in Nepal are scarce. This study aimed to assess the level of health literacy and identify associated factors among adults in Rasuwa, Nepal. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 253 adults aged above 18 years residing in Kalika Rural Municipality, Rasuwa. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Psychometric Assessment of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16). Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate independent correlates of health literacy levels. The mean ± SD age of participants was 46.3 ± 16 years. Only about a quarter (23.3%) of participants had adequate health literacy. The participants aged ≤ 45 years (aOR1.9,95% CI 1.0-3.6), people who perceived their health status as satisfactory (aOR 3.1,95% CI 1.5-6.3), had satisfactory self-rated financial status (aOR 2.9,95% CI 1.5-5.5), had satisfactory level of self- related esteem (aOR = 2.7,95% CI 1.2-6.2), had a stable income (aOR = 1.9, 95% CI1.0-3.5) were more likely to demonstrate adequate health literacy level. Conversely, illiterate participants (aOR 0.1, 95% CI 0.04-0.4) and those engaged in agriculture (aOR 0.49, 95% CI 0.2-0.9) had lower odds of having adequate health literacy. This study highlights inadequate health literacy status among approximately three-quarters of the participants. Factors such as age, self-rated health status, financial stability, self-esteem, and income were associated with health literacy levels. These findings underscore the importance of addressing socio-economic and individual factors in promoting health literacy initiatives, particularly targeting vulnerable populations, to improve overall health outcomes and healthcare utilization.