Health literacy, awareness and self-efficacy among cardiovascular patients visiting medical centers of Shahr-e Kord

Introduction: Considering the importance of self-efficacy and since inadequate health literacy can be a serious barrier to the participation and ultimately affect the health of patients. The present research aimed to study the health literacy of cardiovascular patients and its relationship with awareness and self-efficacy. Methods: This research was a descriptive and cross-sectional study which was conducted on 138 cardiovascular patients visiting medical centers of Shahr-e Kord in 2016. The participants were selected using simple random sampling. To assess the health literacy of the participants, TOFHLA was used. The self-efficacy standard questionnaire was applied to measure the self-efficacy of participants. The obtained data were statistically analyzed using descriptive and analytical tests in SPSS-18. Participation in the present study was voluntary. Results: The mean age of participants was equal to 48.59±19.05. Based on the results, 64, 13 and 61 patients had an inadequate, marginal, and adequate level of health literacy, respectively. The mean score of awareness was 68.14±21.68 and the mean score of self-efficacy was obtained 37.90±32.65. There is a direct and significant relationship between awareness, self-efficacy, and health literacy (p=0.000), and awareness is a suitable predictor of health literacy. Conclusion: it is necessary to measure the health literacy and the relevant skills in patients before providing information to them in medical centers. Then, commensurate with their level of information, training programs should be planned to empower patients and increase their self-efficacy, so that they can achieve correct health information.