Journal of Health Literacy
Year:2021 | Volume:6 | Issue:1|Papers Count:7

The number of cases of the COVID-19, as well as its mortalities and financial loss, are increasing,therefore, preventing the disease has a crucial role in controlling COVID-19. Preventive measures like improving the individual's awareness level and promoting the preventive measures for personal protection can be considered as valuable strategies to prevention and control the COVID-19. In the current situation, regarding the outbreak of COVID-19, in person educational sessions for the family health ambassadors cannot be held like before. On the other hand, because of the current situations, ambassadors are not inclined to attend the central health centers as well. Therefore, the authors recommend “, Tele-education”,to educate and promote the awareness and preventive skill levels for personal protection of the family health ambassadors. Tele-education in family health ambassadors in the prevalence of Covid-19 outbreak could be classified into two groups: 1. Self-care to the health ambassadors. 2. Selfcare education to families through health ambassadors in terms of prevention and controlling Covid-19. Ultimately, as it has been conducted at home, Teleeducation paves the way for family health ambassadors to learn and practice the principles of protection against COVID-19 at home with more convenience and concentration, leading to decrease the exposure and getting COVID-19.

Background and Objective: The relationship between parent health literacy and adherence to rehabilitation in children with special needs has not been fully explored. The aim of this study was to determine the association of parent health literacy and other predicted factors with follow-up of occupational therapy (OT) and speech therapy (ST) in children with special needs between 3 and 6 years old, Hamadan city, 2020. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, 92 parents (64 mothers and 28 fathers), who have children refering to occupational therapy and speech therapy centers, were randomly selected. Data gathering was conducted by demographic and parent health literacy questionnaires, and SPSS software version 16 all data was used to analyze data by independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient at a significance level of 0. 05. Results: The mean of father and mother’, s health literacy were 55. 18±, 7. 59 and 61. 72 ±,13. 56, respectively. A significant difference was observed in parents' health literacy, parent's gender (p = 0. 019), parent’, s education level (p = 0. 05), and father’, s occupation. Pearson’, s correlation coefficient analyses showed a significant negative correlation between parental health literacy and father age (r =-. 345, p <. 01), maternal age (r =-. 418, p <. 01), and parental health literacy positively correlated with the number of OT (r =. 238, p <. 05) and ST Sessions (r =. 468, p <. 01). Conclusion: parent's health literacy was inadequate, and level of health literacy was higher in younger and more educated mothers and significantly associated with further follow-up of rehabilitation (occupational therapy and speech therapy). It is necessary to plan educational strategies to increase the level of health literacy in parents who have children with special needs, because of these children are vulnerable population.

Background and Objective: Health literacy in pregnant mothers is a cognitive and social skill that shows the motivation and ability of women to properly access, understand, and use the information to maintain the health of themselves and their children. The aim of this study was to investigate health literacy during pregnancy and its relationship with prenatal care. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study on 121 pregnant women who referred to the health service centers in Fariman, Iran. Cluster-multistage random sampling method was used to select participantes in 2020. The maternal health literacy and Pregnancy (MHLAPQ) questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20 software based on t-test, Pearson correlation coeffi, cient and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The mean score of maternal health literacy was 58. 7 ±, 37. 16. There was also a signifi, cant relationship (p <0. 05) between health literacy score and mother's education, household income, number of children, place of residence, pregnancy weight gain, supplementation and, dairy products. According to the Pearson correlation coeffi, cient, health literacy signifi, cantly correlated with pregnancy outcome (p = 0. 000) and birth height (p = 0. 005). Conclusion: level of health literacy in new mothers was adquated in this study. Health policy-makers should simplify the health literacy training program for pregnant and lactating women to reduce the various factors that aff, ect their health literacy.

Background and Objective: Health literacy has been implicated as one of the main factors in improving public health maintenance, the present study examined the relationship between health literacy toward body image concern and respondents’,demographic factors in healthcare employees in Binaloud, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted on 170 healthcare employees in Binaloud, Iran. The full version of the self-administered Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) and Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA) questionnaires were used as validated self-report measures to examine body image concerns and health literacy of participants. We used SPSS Statistics 16 (Chicago, Illinois) to conduct the descriptive statistics and preliminary analyses such as χ, 2, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. Results: Results showed that 56. 6% of participants had adequate health literacy, 24. 4% had marginal, and 19% had inadequate health literacy. The mean score of the overall body image levels in the female and male participants were 256. 45 ±,25. 3 and 256. 4 ±,21. 6, respectively. There was a signifi, cant relationship (r=0. 149,p<0. 05) between health literacy and overall body image. Conclusion: This fi, nding refl, ected a signifi, cant and positive relationship between overall body image score and the health literacy skills such as decision-making, understanding, and reading. We suggested a home/workplace intervention program to improve employees’,body image concerns.

Background and Objective: Adolescence is a complex, sensitive and multidimensional period in the human development process. Nutrition quality is the main factors that have an essential role in the growth and maturity of adolescents. Adolescent’, s health literacy is an importance because individuals with high levels of health literacy have better health outcomes than individuals with limited health literacy. Materials and Methods: The present study is an experimental intervention that was conducted on 15-18 years old female adolescents studying in high schools of Zahedan, Iran. The data collection tools in this study consisted of three questionnaires. Health literacy data were collected by HELMA questionnaire and its validity has been proven by Cronbach's alpha coeffi, cient of 0. 95. Educational posters, booklets (designed by the researcher) and PowerPoint were used to conduct training programs during 3 sessions of 45 to 60 minutes. A post-test was carried out in the control and intervention groups One month after the last session. The SPSS software version 26 was used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed a signifi, cant diff, erence between health literacy and nutritional performance of students in the intervention and control groups after the intervention (P-value <0. 001), therefore,that educational intervention increased the health literacy and nutritional performance in students. A signifi, cant and positive relationship was found between students' health literacy and nutritional performance (P-value <0. 05). Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, it is necessary for policymakers and planners to improve the health literacy of adolescents and students through intervention programs to promote health literacy, awareness, attitude, and nutritional behaviors in adolescent’, s population.

Background and Objective: Paying due attention to educational intervention based self-care skills in patients with chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular patients, can predispose them to improve their condition. This study investigates the eff, ect of promotion of health literacy through virtual education on the selfcare behaviors in patients with heart failure. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 56 heart failure patients. The participants were selected using the convenience sampling method and then randomly assigned into two groups (28 in the experimental group and 28 in the control group). The experimental group received a health literacy promotion program via the iSpring Play app. The intervention consisted of four major topics on self-care issues in the form of text, photos, animation, and short videos. Each week, a topic link was made available to participants. After sending the link, through the cyberspace system, the necessary follow-ups on accessing and understanding the information and its application and emphasizing the correct points of self-care were performed and the participants' questions were answered. Data were collected with demographics questionnaire and Riegel et al. ’, s Self-care Index before and after the intervention. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS19 using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The overall self-care mean score increased in both groups after intervention compared to before the intervention indicating a signifi, cant diff, erence on the basis of results of paired t-test (P<0. 05). The mean score of overall self-care was greater in the experimental group (48. 75±, 5. 5) after the intervention compared to the control group (39. 96±, 6. 16). Independent t-test showed a signifi, cant diff, erence between the two groups (P<0. 05). Conclusion: The results demonstrated a signifi, cant increase in the mean score of overall self-care in patients undergoing health literacy promotion programs with virtual education. Hence, innovative methods based on virtual education could be considered to improve self-care behaviors in cardiac failure patients.

Background and Objective: Following the sudden and global outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), called an infectious pandemic by the WHO, Iran also began fi, ghting against this disease from February 19. One of the most important issues in this situation is the adherence to self-quarantine behaviors and its psychological impacts on community health. To date, it is not clear how the Iranian medical students have been adapted with self-quarantine neither and their psychological impacts. The purposes of this study were to investigate eff, ect of self-quarantine on medical student’, s behaviors and their psychological health during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Materials and Methods: During the early stage of the nationwide lockdown, a total 607 Iranian medical students (63. 4% females, range 18-51 years), who were in self-quarantine, participated in an online cross-sectional survey. The valid and reliable questionnaires included covid-19 self-quarantine behaviors, general health (GHQ-28), and impact of events-revised (IES-R) were used to collect data. Series of analysis tests like t-tests, one way-ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coeffi, cient were conducted via SPSS v. 25. Results: The results indicated suitable behaviors (57. 09±, 22. 36) and higherlevel of adherence in females and married students that there is no member in their family aff, ected with COVID-19(P-value<0. 05). Respondents exhibited signifi, cant levels of mental disturbance (29. 33±, 16. 11) and PTSD symptoms (28. 96±, 15. 40) and also Pearson correlation test indicated a signifi, cant positive correlation between self-quarantine behaviors with psychological disturbance and PTSD symptoms (r=0. 208 and 0. 215, P-value =0. 01). Conclusion: Despite observing the appropriate behaviors in students during self-quarantine, but signifi, cant psychological eff, ects due to self-quarantine condition have aff, ected them. The results of this study can help professional health policy makers to determine special strategies for promoting appropriate behaviors during COVID-19 pandemic self-quarantine, controlling the resulting psychological impacts in medical students who considered as one the most important academic population.