Relationship between Health Literacy and Covid-19 and Emerging Infectious Diseases Preventive Behaviors among Older Adults in Pa-Sao Sub-district, Mueang District, Uttaradit Province

Abstract

This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to assess the level of health literacy, and preventive behaviors on COVID-19 and emerging infectious diseases, and study the relationship between the health literacy and preventive behaviors among older adults in Pa-Sao Sub-district, Mueang District, Uttaradit Province. The samples were older adults aged between 60-69, totaling 300 people from 10 villages. They were systematically randomized based on the proportion of elderly individuals in each village. Data were collected by questionnaires; and were analyzed by using descriptive statistics; percentage, mean, standard deviation and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. The results showed that the older adults had overall health literacy about coronavirus 2019 and emerging infectious diseases at a fair level (mean=118.09, SD=34.22); and the preventive behaviors were at a fair level (48.37, SD=13.83). The overall health literacy had a statistically significant positive correlation to the preventive behaviors against coronavirus 2019 and emerging infectious diseases, although at a moderate level (r=0.63). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between each dimension of health literacy and behaviors to prevent coronavirus 2019 and emerging infectious diseases at a relatively high level. Thus, this study recommended that responsible governmental sector should applied these results as baseline information for designing activities to develop health literacy programs to promote preventive behaviors against coronavirus 2019 and emerging infectious diseases for older adults.