Effects of health literacy level on fear of COVID-19

Introduction and Aim: Health literacy means having the knowledge and skills which allow people to understand and use the health-related information and technologies, enable them to communicate with health workers on health-related issues without any problems, also enable them to criticize all this information they have acquired. The rapid transformation of COVID-19 into a pandemic has forced people to learn about this new situation, apply this information, and change their behavior according to the information they receive. Failure to understand the health data can cause panic and reduce the impact of real information and accurate sources of information. Therefore, we think that a high level of health literacy is necessary for crisis situations. In this study we aimed to investigate the effects of health literacy on the level of fear of COVID-19 in the current pandemic environment. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted with 268 adults who had been admitted to our hospital in April 2021. The TSOY-32 Scale and the COVID-19 Fear Scale were applied to the individuals along with the socio-demographic questionnaire form. Results: According to the results of the analysis, it was determined that 1 unit increase in the TSOY-32 scale score, led to 0.28 unit decrease in the COVID-19 Fear scale score. (P<0.05) The COVID-19 Fear scale scores of the participants with insufficient TSOY-32 level were significantly higher than the participants whose TSOY-32 level was problematic – limited, adequate and excellent. (P=0.047, P=0.001, P<0.001). The health literacy levels of the participants who had COVID-19 disease were found to be statistically significantly lower (P=0.034). Discussion- Conclusion: In our study, the scale score of TSOY-32 was higher than the studies conducted before the pandemic started in our country. This can be considered as the impact of the pandemic on health literacy. It is thought that health literacy can help protect people's mental health and improve their quality of life. In our study, the health literacy of people who had COVID-19 disease was found to be significantly lower than those who did not, which supports the explanation above. Therefore, it can be a strategic approach to increase health literacy, reduce fear, and improve their health. In addition to that, health literacy needs to be seen as an essential element of social responsibility to reduce and contain the current pandemic and potential future pandemics. Keywords: Fear of Covid-19, Health literacy, Pandemic psychology