Associations between Health Literacy, Cancer-Related Knowledge, and Preventive Health Behaviors in Community-Dwelling Korean Adults
- Authors
- Son, Youn-Jung; Kim, Sun-Hee; Kim, Gi Yon; Son, Heesook
- Issue Date
- Dec-2017
- Publisher
- TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
- Citation
- JOURNAL OF HEALTH COMMUNICATION, v.22, no.12, pp 999 - 1006
- Pages
- 8
- Journal Title
- JOURNAL OF HEALTH COMMUNICATION
- Volume
- 22
- Number
- 12
- Start Page
- 999
- End Page
- 1006
- URI
- https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/cau/handle/2019.sw.cau/6309
- DOI
- 10.1080/10810730.2017.1401687
- ISSN
- 1081-0730
1087-0415
- Abstract
- This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association between health literacy, cancer-related knowledge, and preventive health behaviors among community-dwelling adults in Korea. Data were collected from 542 adults aged >= 18 years living in five big provinces in Korea (Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Gyeongsang-do, Chungcheong-do, and Gangwon-do). Socio-demographic and health-related characteristics were determined using structured questionnaires. Health literacy, cancer-related knowledge, and engagement in preventive health behaviors were measured using validated instruments. These three variables differed according to socio-demographic and health-related characteristics, such as education, sex, age, and marital status. In the hierarchical regression analysis, health literacy (beta = 0.26, p<.001) and cancerrelated knowledge (beta = 0.21, p<.001) were significant predictors of preventive health behavior after adjusting for confounding variables. Cancer-related knowledge partially mediated the effect of health literacy on preventive health behaviors. Health literacy can play a key role in cancer prevention. It is important for healthcare providers to know how to deliver cancer-related knowledge and how to help people with low health literacy to engage in preventive health behaviors, using a variety of health information resources. Further research is needed to develop the instruments to assess comprehension of spoken and written health messages for cancer prevention and screening.
- Files in This Item
- There are no files associated with this item.
- Appears in
Collections - Red Cross College of Nursing > Department of Nursing > 1. Journal Articles
Items in ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.