Health literacy of COVID-19 and its related factors of students of the Hong Bang International University, 2022

Abstract

Health literacy is one of the important indicators to assess health and the ability to use information about health for individuals and communities. An online cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire of 1,272 students of Hong Bang International University in March 2022 to describe students’ health literacy and to analyse its related factors. The results recorded the average score of general health capacity: 2.92 ± 0.43 points. In which, information searching: 3.03 ± 0.51 points; Adding self-generated content of information: 2.82 ± 0.56 points; evaluating reliability of information: 2.87 ± 0.53 points; Determining relevance of information: 2.96 ± 0.49 points and information security: 3.04 ± 0.69 points. Multivariable regression recorded higher health literacy in males compared with females (OR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.02 - 1.14), students from outside Ho Chi Minh City were lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (OR = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.89 - 1.00), students from outside the health sector were higher than of the health sector (OR = 1.13; 95% CI: 1.08 - 1.23), financial satisfaction was higher than dissatisfaction (OR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.04 - 1.16), searching for information in foreign languages and Vietnamese were higher than only Vietnamese (OR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.02 - 1.10). The authorities need to carry out the improvement of health capacity for students, especially in the context of serious socioeconomic change and priority for the group of students with lower health capacity.