The assessment of women's health literacy and the factors that determine it

Zdravstvena pismenost žena može značajno uticati na različite aspekte ženskog zdravlja. Cilj ove studije bio je procena odnosa zdravstvene pismenosti, socio-demografskih karakteristika i zdravstvenog ponašanja žena u oblasti reproduktivnog zdravlja u Srbiji. Istraživanje je sprovedeno kao studija preseka, na uzorku žena starijih od 18 godina, sa teritorije Republike Srbije, stratifikovanom prema regionu, vrsti naselja i starosnim kategorijama. Pri proceni zdravstvene pismenosti žena korišćena je standardizovana verzija evropskog upitnika o zdravstvenoj pismenosti (HLS-EU-Q47). Ograničeni nivoi zdravstvene pismenosti bili su znatno prisutniji među ženama srednjeg životnog doba, među onima koje žive u ruralnim područjima, koje su svoje zdravlje procenile kao loše ili veoma loše i koje su pokazale negativnije zdravstveno ponašanje u oblasti reproduktivnog zdravlja, što ukazuje na potrebu za primenom preventivnih programa i strategije sa ciljem unapređenja nivoa zdravstvene pismenosti.Health literacy of women can significantly affect different aspects of womens health. The aim of this study was the assessment of relationship of health literacy, socio-demographic characteristics and reproductive health behaviors of women in Serbia. This was a crosssectional study on a random sample of women aged 18 and over from the territories of three Serbian regions, stratified according to age groups, region and type of settlement. A standardized version of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) was used in assessing health literacy of women. Limited levels of health literacy were significantly higher among middle-aged women, among those living in rural areas, among women who rated their health as poor or very poor, and who exhibited more negative patterns of reproductive health behavior, indicating the need for implementation of prevention programs and strategies with the aim of increasing the level of health literacy. Key words: health literacy, reproductive health, women, Serbi