G-2596

Investigating the relationship between health literacy, self-care and prevention of chronic diseases

 Ehsan Bastami ¹ ℗, Mehrnoosh Sanadgol ¹, Soleyman Saravani ² ©, Masoud Rezaei ¹, Mohammad Javad Miri ¹   

 
Abstract

Introduction: Health literacy refers to individuals' ability to access, understand, and use health information for informed decision-making. It plays a key role in promoting self-care, preventing chronic diseases, and reducing healthcare costs. Higher health literacy is associated with healthier behaviors and better disease management. Various factors, including education and socioeconomic status, influence health literacy. Given the rising burden of chronic diseases, this study aims to investigate the relationship between health literacy, self-care, and chronic disease prevention in ... in 2025, providing insights for targeted educational and healthcare interventions. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study (2025) examined the relationship between health literacy, self-care, and chronic disease prevention among adults (≥18 years) with active health records. A total of 163 participants were selected via multistage cluster sampling. Inclusion criteria included minimum six-month residence, literacy, and absence of acute disabling illness. Data were collected using four validated tools: a demographic questionnaire, Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA), Self-Care of Chronic Illness Inventory (SC-CII V4c), and Health Protective Behavior Scale (HPBS). Questionnaires were completed online or in person after informed consent. Data were analyzed using SPSS v27 with descriptive statistics, t-tests, correlation, linear, and logistic regression. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review board. Results: A total of 163 adults (mean age: 39.95 ± 6.77 years; 52% female) were included. The mean health literacy (HELIA) score was 55.69 ± 17.97, and the average HPBS score was 66.05 ± 9.94. Among self-care domains, scores ranged from 42.64 (health maintenance) to 51.17 (symptom management). Spearman’s correlation revealed strong positive associations between health literacy and all self-care subscales (ρ = 0.782–0.943, p 0.001), and a moderate correlation with HPBS (ρ = 0.636, p 0.001). HPBS also correlated significantly with health maintenance, monitoring, and self-efficacy, but showed only a weak association with symptom management (ρ = 0.163, p = 0.039). Independent samples t-tests showed that participants without chronic illness had significantly higher scores in health literacy (p = 0.001) and HPBS (p = 0.016). No significant differences were observed in symptom management scores (p = 0.720) or HPBS by gender (p = 0.805). In multivariate regression, health literacy was the strongest predictor of HPBS (β = 0.245, p 0.001), followed by age (β = 0.179, p = 0.003), while education and income were non-significant. Logistic regression confirmed that higher health literacy (OR = 0.623, p 0.001) and HPBS (OR = 0.935, p = 0.011) were associated with lower odds of chronic disease. Other variables were not predictive. Discussion and Conclusion: Higher health literacy and protective behaviors were significantly associated with improved self-care and reduced chronic disease risk, highlighting the need to integrate health literacy promotion into preventive strategies

Keywords: Health Literacy, Self-Care, Primary Prevention, Chronic Disease