AI Insight
A cross-sectional study of 587 Pakistani adults aged 18 and older found that general health literacy was a strong predictor of physical activity, while vaccine literacy was strongly associated with positive vaccination attitudes but not with other lifestyle behaviors like physical activity or smoking. The average health literacy score was 86.29 out of 100, and vaccine literacy averaged 18.29 out of a possible score range, with health literacy showing significant gender differences. The researchers conclude that both types of literacy act as enabling rather than deterministic factors for health behaviors.
Why it matters
This study suggests that improving health literacy alone may not be sufficient to change all health behaviors, and that comprehensive public health interventions must combine education with environmental and policy changes. The findings are particularly relevant for developing vaccination campaigns and physical activity programs in Pakistan and similar populations.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Health literacy (HL) is a critical determinant of health behaviours and outcomes. Vaccine literacy (VL), a domain-specific extension of HL, has emerged as an important determinant of vaccination attitudes. However, evidence examining the combined relationship of HL and VL with lifestyle behaviours remains limited, particularly among young adults in Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 587 participants aged 18 years and above in Pakistan. HL was assessed using the European Health Literacy Population Survey 2019-2021 questionnaire (HLS19-Q; 17 items; 5-point Likert scale; score range 0-100) and VL was assessed using the HLS19 vaccine literacy instrument (HLS19-VAC), both developed by the Measuring Population and Organizational Health Literacy (M-POHL) Consortium. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics (v.29) with descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Spearmans correlation, and multiple linear regression. Mean HL score was 86.29 {+/-} 22.04 and mean VL score was 18.29 {+/-} 2.72. HL was significantly associated with gender (p < 0.001) and was the strongest independent predictor of physical activity ({beta} = 0.735, R{superscript 2} = 0.627, p < 0.001). VL was strongly associated with vaccination attitudes (r = 0.735, p < 0.001) but not with physical activity or smoking. HL and VL function as enabling rather than deterministic factors for health behaviour. Multi-component public health interventions combining HL promotion with environmental and policy-level strategies are needed.