Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population

Gustave Soh; André Wamba

doi:doi:10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16

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Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population

Gustave Soh, André Wamba

Published in Central African Journal of Public Health (Volume 8, Issue 3)

Received: 22 May 2022 Accepted: 9 June 2022 Published: 30 June 2022

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Abstract

Background: Health literacy (HL) is the ability of an individual to obtain and translate knowledge and information in order to maintain and improve health in a way which is appropriate to that individual and system contexts. It has become a priority for health in the 21^st century, and many countries have included HL as a key priority in their policies and practices. However, in many African countries, such as Cameroon, information about the status of HL among population remains scarce. Objective: This study sought to describe the HL level of the Cameroonian population and its determinants. Methods: A cross-sectional national survey using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short forms (HLS-EU-Q16) was conducted. Both English and French version of HLSEU16 were used due to the fact that the country is bilingual. 1,226 persons (50.5% females, ages 15-96 years, mean age 27.99 years, standard deviation 9.73) completed an online (47%) and paper (53%) questionnaire. Results: At least one quarter (1/4) of respondents (24.6%) showed insufficient HL and 74.3%, almost three quarter (3/4) had limited (insufficient and problematic) HL. Sufficient HL was predominant in all subcategories of the population. Subgroups within the population with low HL were those with more than two chronic diseases (F(3; 1,222) = 4.673, p = .003) and those living in rural areas (F(2; 1,223) = 21.870, p < .001). Participants with high HL evaluated their health as very good (F(3; 1,222) = 24.586, p< .001) and were satisfied with their life (F(3; 1,222) = 15.317, p< .001). Discussion and conclusion: Limited HL represents an important challenge for health policies and practices across Cameroon like in many European countries. The influence of socio-cultural aspect in HL must be taken into account when developing HL tools to ensure quality measurement and to improve health equity around the world.

Published in	Central African Journal of Public Health (Volume 8, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16
Page(s)	121-133
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Health Literacy, Survey, Cameroon, HLS-EU-Q16

References

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Gustave Soh, André Wamba. (2022). Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population. Central African Journal of Public Health, 8(3), 121-133. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16

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Gustave Soh; André Wamba. Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population. Cent. Afr. J. Public Health 2022, 8(3), 121-133. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16

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Gustave Soh, André Wamba. Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population. Cent Afr J Public Health. 2022;8(3):121-133. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16

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@article{10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16,
  author = {Gustave Soh and André Wamba},
  title = {Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population},
  journal = {Central African Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {8},
  number = {3},
  pages = {121-133},
  doi = {10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.cajph.20220803.16},
  abstract = {Background: Health literacy (HL) is the ability of an individual to obtain and translate knowledge and information in order to maintain and improve health in a way which is appropriate to that individual and system contexts. It has become a priority for health in the 21st century, and many countries have included HL as a key priority in their policies and practices. However, in many African countries, such as Cameroon, information about the status of HL among population remains scarce. Objective: This study sought to describe the HL level of the Cameroonian population and its determinants. Methods: A cross-sectional national survey using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short forms (HLS-EU-Q16) was conducted. Both English and French version of HLSEU16 were used due to the fact that the country is bilingual. 1,226 persons (50.5% females, ages 15-96 years, mean age 27.99 years, standard deviation 9.73) completed an online (47%) and paper (53%) questionnaire. Results: At least one quarter (1/4) of respondents (24.6%) showed insufficient HL and 74.3%, almost three quarter (3/4) had limited (insufficient and problematic) HL. Sufficient HL was predominant in all subcategories of the population. Subgroups within the population with low HL were those with more than two chronic diseases (F(3; 1,222) = 4.673, p = .003) and those living in rural areas (F(2; 1,223) = 21.870, p F(3; 1,222) = 24.586, pF(3; 1,222) = 15.317, pDiscussion and conclusion: Limited HL represents an important challenge for health policies and practices across Cameroon like in many European countries. The influence of socio-cultural aspect in HL must be taken into account when developing HL tools to ensure quality measurement and to improve health equity around the world.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population
AU  - Gustave Soh
AU  - André Wamba
Y1  - 2022/06/30
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16
T2  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JF  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JO  - Central African Journal of Public Health
SP  - 121
EP  - 133
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-5781
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16
AB  - Background: Health literacy (HL) is the ability of an individual to obtain and translate knowledge and information in order to maintain and improve health in a way which is appropriate to that individual and system contexts. It has become a priority for health in the 21st century, and many countries have included HL as a key priority in their policies and practices. However, in many African countries, such as Cameroon, information about the status of HL among population remains scarce. Objective: This study sought to describe the HL level of the Cameroonian population and its determinants. Methods: A cross-sectional national survey using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short forms (HLS-EU-Q16) was conducted. Both English and French version of HLSEU16 were used due to the fact that the country is bilingual. 1,226 persons (50.5% females, ages 15-96 years, mean age 27.99 years, standard deviation 9.73) completed an online (47%) and paper (53%) questionnaire. Results: At least one quarter (1/4) of respondents (24.6%) showed insufficient HL and 74.3%, almost three quarter (3/4) had limited (insufficient and problematic) HL. Sufficient HL was predominant in all subcategories of the population. Subgroups within the population with low HL were those with more than two chronic diseases (F(3; 1,222) = 4.673, p = .003) and those living in rural areas (F(2; 1,223) = 21.870, p F(3; 1,222) = 24.586, pF(3; 1,222) = 15.317, pDiscussion and conclusion: Limited HL represents an important challenge for health policies and practices across Cameroon like in many European countries. The influence of socio-cultural aspect in HL must be taken into account when developing HL tools to ensure quality measurement and to improve health equity around the world.
VL  - 8
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Gustave Soh

Department of Fundamental Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
André Wamba

Department of Sciences of Education, Higher Teacher Training School, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon

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Gustave Soh, André Wamba. (2022). Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population. Central African Journal of Public Health, 8(3), 121-133. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16

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Gustave Soh; André Wamba. Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population. Cent. Afr. J. Public Health 2022, 8(3), 121-133. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16

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Gustave Soh, André Wamba. Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population. Cent Afr J Public Health. 2022;8(3):121-133. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16

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@article{10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16,
  author = {Gustave Soh and André Wamba},
  title = {Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population},
  journal = {Central African Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {8},
  number = {3},
  pages = {121-133},
  doi = {10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.cajph.20220803.16},
  abstract = {Background: Health literacy (HL) is the ability of an individual to obtain and translate knowledge and information in order to maintain and improve health in a way which is appropriate to that individual and system contexts. It has become a priority for health in the 21st century, and many countries have included HL as a key priority in their policies and practices. However, in many African countries, such as Cameroon, information about the status of HL among population remains scarce. Objective: This study sought to describe the HL level of the Cameroonian population and its determinants. Methods: A cross-sectional national survey using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short forms (HLS-EU-Q16) was conducted. Both English and French version of HLSEU16 were used due to the fact that the country is bilingual. 1,226 persons (50.5% females, ages 15-96 years, mean age 27.99 years, standard deviation 9.73) completed an online (47%) and paper (53%) questionnaire. Results: At least one quarter (1/4) of respondents (24.6%) showed insufficient HL and 74.3%, almost three quarter (3/4) had limited (insufficient and problematic) HL. Sufficient HL was predominant in all subcategories of the population. Subgroups within the population with low HL were those with more than two chronic diseases (F(3; 1,222) = 4.673, p = .003) and those living in rural areas (F(2; 1,223) = 21.870, p F(3; 1,222) = 24.586, pF(3; 1,222) = 15.317, pDiscussion and conclusion: Limited HL represents an important challenge for health policies and practices across Cameroon like in many European countries. The influence of socio-cultural aspect in HL must be taken into account when developing HL tools to ensure quality measurement and to improve health equity around the world.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Health Literacy Cross-Sectional National Survey in Cameroon General Population
AU  - Gustave Soh
AU  - André Wamba
Y1  - 2022/06/30
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16
T2  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JF  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JO  - Central African Journal of Public Health
SP  - 121
EP  - 133
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-5781
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20220803.16
AB  - Background: Health literacy (HL) is the ability of an individual to obtain and translate knowledge and information in order to maintain and improve health in a way which is appropriate to that individual and system contexts. It has become a priority for health in the 21st century, and many countries have included HL as a key priority in their policies and practices. However, in many African countries, such as Cameroon, information about the status of HL among population remains scarce. Objective: This study sought to describe the HL level of the Cameroonian population and its determinants. Methods: A cross-sectional national survey using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire short forms (HLS-EU-Q16) was conducted. Both English and French version of HLSEU16 were used due to the fact that the country is bilingual. 1,226 persons (50.5% females, ages 15-96 years, mean age 27.99 years, standard deviation 9.73) completed an online (47%) and paper (53%) questionnaire. Results: At least one quarter (1/4) of respondents (24.6%) showed insufficient HL and 74.3%, almost three quarter (3/4) had limited (insufficient and problematic) HL. Sufficient HL was predominant in all subcategories of the population. Subgroups within the population with low HL were those with more than two chronic diseases (F(3; 1,222) = 4.673, p = .003) and those living in rural areas (F(2; 1,223) = 21.870, p F(3; 1,222) = 24.586, pF(3; 1,222) = 15.317, pDiscussion and conclusion: Limited HL represents an important challenge for health policies and practices across Cameroon like in many European countries. The influence of socio-cultural aspect in HL must be taken into account when developing HL tools to ensure quality measurement and to improve health equity around the world.
VL  - 8
IS  - 3
ER  -

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