Assessment of Health Literacy Among Adults Visiting Outpatient Clinics at a Government Tertiary Care Hospital in Urban Bangalore: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background WHO defines health literacy HL as cognitive and social skills that determine the motivation and ability of people to understand gain access to and use information to obtain good health. Inadequacy in health literacy has been associated with increased hospital admissions worsened physical and mental health and decreased utilization of preventive health services. This study evaluated health literacy in adults visiting outpatient clinics at a government tertiary care facility in urban Bangalore.AimObjectives This study aims to evaluate the health literacy and the socio-demographic factors associated with adults visiting outpatient clinics at a government tertiary care hospital in urban Bangalore.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among adults visiting outpatient clinics of a government tertiary care hospital in urban Bangalore. A total of 200 adults visiting outpatient clinics at the hospital of study were selected using consecutive sampling. Data was collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire and the Indian version of the HLS-EU-Q16 European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire-short version.Results The study revealed that 65.5 of the participants had limited HL 35 inadequate and 30.5 problematic HL while only 34.5 had sufficient HL. HL was significantly associated with factors such as education socioeconomic status occupation religion and marital status. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve health literacy among at-risk populations.Conclusion The current study revealed that a significant portion of the adult population possesses limited health literacy. Targeted interventions focusing on education and socio-economic disparities are essential for improving health literacy and promoting better health outcomes.