Social determinants of health and health literacy in cancer patients Results from Persian Guilan Cohort Study (PGCS)

Background: Effective health interventions rely on community-based strategies that address the social determinants of health. Health literacy plays a crucial role in individuals’ ability to understand, evaluate, and act on health-related information, thereby influencing their health decisions and behaviors. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the relationship between social determinants of health and health literacy in cancer patients. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, ۷۱ patients enrolled in the PERSIAN Guilan Cohort were studied in ۲۰۱۹. The social determinants of health and health literacy data were collected by a valid and reliable questionnaire and analyzed using STATA version ۱۳.۱. Results: The mean health literacy score among participants was ۸۱.۶± ۲.۶۶. Among the subdomains of health literacy, decision-making and behavior had the highest average score (۹۵.۲۴ ± ۱.۱۲), while reading skills had the lowest (۵۷.۶۵ ± ۵.۰۰). Among the social determinants of health, a significant relationship was reported between health literacy score and wealth index (β=۷.۸۲۷, P-value<۰.۰۰۱), not having diabetes (β=-۳.۸۵, P-value=۰.۰۲۲), not having hypertension (β=-۱۰.۰۵, P-value=۰.۰۴۵), and years of schooling (β=۰.۸۷, P-value<۰.۰۰۱). Conclusion: Social determinants such as education, economic status, and family size are important predictors of health literacy in cancer patients. Health service programs, particularly those within the framework of the PERSIAN Cohort, should prioritize addressing these factors to enhance health literacy outcomes.

کلیدواژه ها:

Social determinants of health ، Health literacy ، Cancer