Coronavirus-Related Health Literacy: A Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

Aldo Rosano, Chiara Lorini, Brigid Unim, Robert Griebler, Chiara Cadeddu, Luca Regazzi, Daniela Galeone and Luigi Palmieri
Additional contact information
Aldo Rosano: National Institute for the Analysis of Public Policy, Corso d’Italia 33, 00198 Rome, Italy
Chiara Lorini: Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Viale GB Morgagni 48, 50134 Florence, Italy
Brigid Unim: Department of Cardiovascular, Endocrine-Metabolic Diseases and Aging, Italian National Institute of Health, Via Giano della Bella 34, 00162 Rome, Italy
Robert Griebler: Competence Centre for Health Promotion and Health System, Austrian National Public Health Institute, Stubenring 6, A-1010 Vienna, Austria
Chiara Cadeddu: Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Luca Regazzi: Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Daniela Galeone: Ministry of Health, Viale Giorgio Ribotta, 5, 00144 Rome, Italy
Luigi Palmieri: Department of Cardiovascular, Endocrine-Metabolic Diseases and Aging, Italian National Institute of Health, Via Giano della Bella 34, 00162 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an overabundance of valid and invalid information to spread rapidly via traditional media as well as by internet and digital communication. Health literacy (HL) is the ability to access, understand, appraise, and apply health information, making it fundamental for finding, interpreting, and correctly using COVID-19 information. A cross-sectional study of a sample of 3500 participants representative of the Italian adult population aged 18+ years was conducted in Italy in 2021. A validated HL questionnaire was employed, including sections on coronavirus-related HL, general HL, sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors, and respondents’ lifestyle. Of our sample, 49.3% had “excellent” levels of coronavirus-related HL and 50.7% had “sufficient” (20.7%) or “limited” (30.0%) levels. Although the overall HL-COVID level was high, many participants reported difficulties dealing with COVID-19 information; in particular, participants older than 65 years, with a low education level, living in southern regions of Italy, and with high financial deprivation. Targeted public information campaigns and the promotion of HL are required for better navigation of health information environments. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to improve HL and to prepare the general population for future emergency and non-emergency situations, confirming that HL can be considered a social vaccine.

Keywords: health literacy; COVID-19; Italy; risk perception; knowledge; attitudes and practices; risk factors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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