Familiarity, Attitude, and Confidence of Health Literacy Practice among Community Healthcare Providers in Taiwan

Mei-Chuan Chang, Jyh-Gang Hsieh, Mi-Hsiu Wei, Chuan-Hsiu Tsai, Jui-Hung Yu and Ying-Wei Wang
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Mei-Chuan Chang: Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan
Jyh-Gang Hsieh: Department of Family Medicine, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien 970, Taiwan
Mi-Hsiu Wei: Department of Communication Studies, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan
Chuan-Hsiu Tsai: Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan
Jui-Hung Yu: Department of Public Health, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan
Ying-Wei Wang: Department of Family Medicine, Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Hualien 970, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-10

Abstract: Health literacy (HL), which is a determinant of individuals’ health as well as a personal and public asset, can be improved by community healthcare providers (CHPs) with the capability of providing HL services. The purpose of this study was to explore CHPs’ familiarity with and attitudes toward HL and their confidence in implementing HL practices. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted involving a total of 104 CHPs from 20 public health centers in Taiwan. It was based on a structured questionnaire involving self-evaluation by participants. The scores for familiarity, attitudes, and confidence in implementing HL practices were mean = 4.36, SD = 1.99; mean = 7.45, SD = 1.93; and mean = 6.10, SD = 1.77 (out of 10 points), respectively. The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that the two independent variables of familiarity and attitude could predict confidence in implementing HL practices (R 2 = 0.57, F(2101) = 58.96, p < 0.001). The CHPs surveyed were not especially familiar with HL; thus, they recognized its importance, but they lacked confidence in implementing HL practices. Increasing practitioners’ familiarity with HL may therefore boost their confidence in implementation. The research results can serve as a reference when planning HL education and training.

Keywords: community healthcare providers; health literacy; familiarity; attitude; confidence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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