Factors Associated with the Health Literacy on Social Determinants of Health: A Focus on Socioeconomic Position and Work Environment

Abstract

Though impressive progress has been made in healthcare worldwide, many people still experience disproportionate health burdens and inequities in healthcare services. For establishing sustainable development goals, health literacy on social determinants of health (HL-SDH) has been recognized as a key to creating better social and physical environments. In particular, low levels of health literacy among industrial workers are considered as a major barrier to benefitting from the progress made in healthcare. This study aimed to describe levels of HL-SDH and to examine the relationships among socioeconomic status, working environment, and HL-SDH among workers in Korea. A total of 660 workers from an online panel participated in Korea from 30 May to 7 June 2018. The Korean version of HL-SDH instrument consisted of 33 items and four dimensions: access, understand, appraise, and apply. Descriptive statistics, a t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. The mean score of HL-SDH was 2.48. Perceived mental health status, annual income, and the number of employees per worksite were found to be statistically significant factors related to HL-SDH (F = 3.64, p = <0.001). The HL-SDH score was considerably higher, indicating that nursing interventions to enhance HL-SDH are required for health promotion, especially among workers in poor social and working environments.