Health Literacy of Kerman Province Educational Staff

The purpose of this study was to examine the health literacy of Kerman province educational staff due to the significant influence of teachers on the level of education in society.   In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the research population included Kerman ministry of education teachers who were selected using sample size formula of Cochran and with a confidence level of 95%. Three hundred seventy-eight subjects were selected using available sampling method. The Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA) which has been confirmed in other studies regarding its validity and reliability was used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SPSS software.   Most of the study sample included women (85%) with a bachelor's degree (52%). Most participants acquired the required information through the healthcare staff (26%) and internet (21%). The level of health literacy in reading skills was not sufficient (59.9%), access to information (76.4%) was sufficient, insight and understanding (65%) was not sufficient, information evaluation (46.5%) was insufficient and decision making (63.2%) was not sufficient. On the whole, the level of literacy of the sample was average (61.3%) which was not sufficient.   Low level of health literacy is one of the main problems of community health. Meanwhile, due to the critical role of teachers in the growth of the community, improving the level of health literacy of this stratum is important. Therefore, empowering teachers and designing programs appropriate to health-related variables is essential and it is necessary to design and use sectors, such as educational centers, medical science and media universities, comprehensive educational programs and educational materials.