Publication: HEALTHLITERACY AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, PRIOR TO CREDIT TRANSFER AT A PRIVATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY IN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
Date
2020-08
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Medical University
Abstract
Background: With the prevalence of chronic illnesses and non-communicable diseases on the rise across the world, people need guidance to seek health information within the healthcare system effectively in order to make beneficial health decisions and choices. The current and future healthcare professionals in the making play a vital role here. Is their health literacy profile adequate for them to play this role once they are qualified with this profession?
Objective: The objectives of this research were to determine the level of health literacy(HL)among undergraduates in specific programmes, compare health literacy questionnaire scores (HLQ scores) among students in these selected programmes and to determine the association between HLQ scores and gender, parents’ highest level of education, parents’ prior or current job in the health care sector and undergraduates prior clinical or health education exposure before their enrolment in International Medical University (IMU), Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Methodology:
A cross sectional comparative study was conducted for a duration of three months with a total 216 undergraduates that agreed to participate in the study from four selected undergraduate programmes at IMU. Stratified proportional sampling method was used to proportion this number of students from each programme. Excel random selection was used to randomly select the final respondents. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of two parts (socio-demographics and health literacy questionnaire (HLQ) was used to collect data. The independent variables (IVs) in this research consists of age, gender, type of student, programme of study, parental education, parents’ prior or current job in a healthcare sector and participants’ prior clinical or health education before enrolling in IMU. The dependent variables (DVs) are scores for nine scales in the HLQ.
Descriptive statistics, independent samples t test, one-way ANOVA and Welch’s F tests were used to analyse if the mean variations among HL levels and demographic factors had any statistical significance. Moreover, multiple linear regression was performed to explore the influence of certain IVs on the DVs.
Results:
Significant effect was seen in parents’ prior or current job in the health sector and students previous clinical/health education exposure in HLQ scales 1(‘feeling understood and supported by healthcare providers’), 4 (‘social support for health,’), 5 (‘appraisal of health information’) and 7 (‘navigating the healthcare system’). Also, study programmes had a huge significant influence in eight of the nine HLQ scales with medical and dentistry students having a better health literacy profile compared to pharmacy and dietetics with nutrition students (DN). Notably, the lowest scores were from the DN students.
Conclusion:
This research identified that different medical and health science degree programmes influence students’ health literacy in different areas indicating each students group’s respective strengths and weaknesses as identified by the health literacy questionnaire. Curricula educators should use this to modify and improve the curricula with interventional activities or coursework to support students in becoming health literate competent and work ready graduates
Keywords: Health literacy, decision making in health, health behaviour, health competencies, health profession students.
Description
Keywords
Health Literacy, Decision Making, Health Behavior, Health Occupations, Cross-Sectional Studies