Half of Koreans Lack 'Health Literacy'... Lower Among Elderly and Vulnerable Groups

Half scored an appropriate level of 13-16 out of 16 points
Scores decline with higher age and lower income levels

A study has found that about half of adults have difficulty acquiring, understanding, and utilizing health information.

In the latest issue of the ‘Health and Welfare Forum’ published on the 5th by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA), a report titled ‘The Status of Health Literacy and Policy Implications Based on the Korea Health Panel’ was featured.

‘Health Literacy’ refers to the complex ability to access health information, acquire necessary information, understand it, judge whether it is appropriate, and use it for health management, disease prevention, and medical service utilization. In Korean, it can be translated as ‘geongangjeongbo munhaeryeok’ (health information literacy).

The Korea Health Panel used health literacy measurement items utilized in Europe and other regions in its 2021 supplementary survey and scored them. The items consisted of 16 questions such as ‘finding treatment information about a concerning disease’ and ‘understanding what the doctor said.’

According to the survey results, the average health literacy score of 9,530 adults aged 19 and older was 11.3 out of 16 points. Among them, only 50.6% scored at an adequate level (13?16 points), 20.1% were at a borderline level (9?12 points), and 29.3% were at a deficient level (0?8 points).

[Image source=Pixabay]

Researcher Bae Jaeyong and others from KIHASA explained, “This means that about half of adults have difficulty accessing necessary health information, understanding it, judging whether it is appropriate, and utilizing it.”

Moreover, the health literacy levels of the elderly and socioeconomically vulnerable groups were even lower. Those aged 70 and above scored 7.5 points, those with middle school education or less scored 7.9 points, and households in the lowest income quintile (bottom 20%) scored 8.1 points.

Conversely, younger age, higher education levels, and higher household income were associated with higher health literacy levels. By residential area, residents of dong (urban neighborhoods) scored higher (11.7 points) than those living in eup/myeon (rural towns) areas (9.8 points).

The research team emphasized, “Health literacy acts as a major factor in health behaviors, medical service utilization patterns, and health outcomes,” and added, “Detailed measures to improve health literacy levels should be included when establishing policies to enhance the health status of the population.”

They also added, “It is necessary to find ways to increase access to and utilization of health information provided by the government and public institutions.”