gms | German Medical Science

Background/research question: Health literacy is one of Austria’s priority health objectives and is thus an important determinant of health policy. Health literacy is a better predictor of the health status of individuals than demographic characteristics such as education or age [1]. The European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU) found that in Austria 51% of participants had inadequate to problematic health literacy. Therefore, were likely to face challenges in making decisions about healthcare needs, accessing information about disease prevention and prioritizing their health [2]. Poor health literacy has been linked to age (75 and over); chronic illness; low educational attainment and people experiencing financial difficulties. However, there is a lack of data on the health literacy of young adults (17-18 years old), and what health information they use and how they understand the information.

What is the health literacy levels of young adults and how do they obtain and assess health information?

Methods: A questionnaire, based on the HLS-EU, will be administered to young adults at public schools in Vorarlberg, Austria to measure health literacy. Focus groups will also be conducted to find out about how young people obtain information about health and how they appraise this information. Results will be presented at and discussed with health professionals from regional government authority, NGO’s, hospitals and health care organisations. Discussion of results may lead to innovative public health activities.

Preliminary/expected results, outlook: Health literacy will tend to be low, as young adults are less likely to have had frequent contact with health services. Their ability to obtain information is likely to be high as most have access to digital information through smartphones, tablets and computers. However, their ability to evaluate the health information they obtain is difficult to assess prior to the study. The aim here is to support this population to improve their health literacy and thus improve their chances of good long-term health.

Competing interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.