The Roles of Health Literacy in Developing Health Communication Competence among Low-wage Workers in Kelantan, Malaysia

• Published in: Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences
• Main Author: Sumardi N.A.; Aminuddin A.S.; Halif M.M.; Hassan N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85207631702&doi=10.47836%2fmjmhs20.4.8&partnerID=40&md5=7eb4207db0e328deb5a50c8c2a2cc586

Introduction: The distressing rate of critical illnesses in Malaysia was contributed by the nation’s low level of health literacy where many Malaysians failed to well-manage their illness as they are incompetent in communicating the health conditions to obtain the necessary medical services. This study was conducted cross-sectionally to determine the relationship and effects of health literacy, encompassed of health care, disease prevention and health promotion domains towards health communication competence among low-wage workers in Kelantan, Malaysia. Materials and methods: : Quota sampling was applied in selecting the targeted respondents from three districts of Machang, Kota Bharu and Bachok. 150 samples, encompassing gardeners and janitors were conveniently selected as the study’s respondents. A set of questionnaires was used as the instrument and was physically distributed to the respondents. Results: The results from the descriptive analysis showed that more low-wage workers in urban areas possessed adequate level of health literacy and good level of health communication competence in comparison to those in sub-urban area. Meanwhile, the correlational analysis findings showed the overall and domains of health literacy were positively and strongly correlated to health communication competence. The results of multiple regression analysis have also revealed that every domain of health literacy had significant effects towards low-wage workers’ health communication competence, with health promotion as the strongest predictor. Conclusion: Health literacy was found to be significantly, positively and strongly associated to health communication competence among low-wage workers in Kelantan, Malaysia. This study has highlighted the significance of health literacy in developing health communication competence in which those who work in sub-urban areas need to particularly be prioritized. Accordingly, this study suggests the health departments to organize various health promotion and education programs for the society to enhance their awareness on health literacy. © 2024 Universiti Putra Malaysia Press. All rights reserved.