Does Health Literacy cause better women's self-care performance? A Cross-Sectional Study in Iran

Health literacy is one of the most important factors, which helps women to maintain and promote their self-care behaviors. It also helps them to have better versions of themselves by taking life-saving self-care activities and facilitating the process of preserving and endorsing their health. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between health literacy and self-care among women who live in the different parts of the city of Yazd. In a cross-sectional study, 737 women were selected to participant in this study thought multi-stage cluster sampling from Jun, 2020 to October, 2020. Data were collected using a researcher-made self-care questionnaire and Chinn and McCarthy’s Health Literacy Scale (AAHLS). Descriptive statistics, ANOVA test and structural equation model were used through SPSS and AMOS software version 24 to analyze date. The results revealed that the effect of health literacy on self-care was positive and significant (β=0.51, p<0.001). The effectiveness rates of health literacy on women’s self-care in the suburb, central, and upper parts were 0.56, 0.50, and 0.42, respectively (p<0.001). The fit indices showed that the model had a good fit (CMIN/DF= 2.341, NFI= 0.915, RMSEA= 0.030, CFI= 0.949, TLI= 0.926, GFI= 0.965, IFI= 0.950). Women living in the upper parts had relatively higher levels of self-care and health literacy compared to those living in the marginal parts of the city. Health literacy plays an effective role in promoting women's self-care performance. Therefore, medical sociologists recommend relevant educational interventions to promote health literacy and self-care behavior in women.