The Relationship Between Health Literacy and Educational, Demographic, and Occupational Factors Among Adults in Kerman, Iran

Background: Health literacy is a critical determinant of health and a central priority in public health policy. This study aimed to examine the level of health literacy and its associated factors among adults aged 18-65 years within the population served by Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2025. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,323 participants selected through a multi-stage sampling method. The Iranian Health Literacy Questionnaire (IHLQ) was employed to assess multiple domains of health literacy, including reading, comprehension, communication/decision-making, and interpretation/judgment skills, personal and social empowerment, access to health information, and utilization of health information. Descriptive indices and 95% confidence intervals for overall and domain-specific health literacy were calculated using weights based on the inverse of the sampling fraction for each city. Results: The participants had a mean age of 38.05±11.25 years, and their mean health literacy score was 12.7±3.4 (out of 20). A total of 474 participants (weighted percentage=36.8%) demonstrated adequate health literacy. In the multiple linear regression model, university education (P<0.001), female gender (P<0.001), and permanent employment (P<0.001) remained significantly associated with higher health literacy. Conversely, the mean health literacy score significantly decreased with advancing age (P=0.003). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, individuals with lower education levels, older age, and those who are homemakers, unemployed, or engaged in informal or variable-income occupations had lower mean health literacy scores. These results underscore the necessity for comprehensive educational initiatives and the development of effective media strategies tailored to improve the communication of health messages among populations with lower literacy levels.