The relationship between health literacy and health behaviours amongst a South African Navy sample

Health literacy (HL) is the ability to access, process and understand information about health. It has been established that HL mediates health-related decisions and behaviours. In the naval environment, sailors are expected to responsively address their healthcare needs and maintain a holistic state of physical and psychological wellbeing to meet the operational demands of their work. While studies of HL in military populations have been undertaken, none of these have explicitly examined active-duty naval personnel. The aim of this study was to examine the levels of HL amongst a sample of active-duty sailors in the South African Navy (SAN) and determine to what extent HL predicted health behaviours.

A total of 977 active-duty sailors completed a demographic questionnaire and the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) during their annual health screening. The HLQ is 44-item questionnaire with Likert scale response options that assesses several domains of health literacy across nine subscales. The HLQ data was paired with several health indicators. The following health information was recorded; blood pressure readings (diastolic and systolic), body mass index, hip, and waist measurements, as well as if diabetes and/or hypertension had been diagnosed. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data along with a regression analysis to determine the nature and predictability of HL and the health indicators.

The findings supported high levels of HL across all nine subscales with the active management subscale significantly predicting several health outcomes including reduced blood pressure; body mass index and waist and hip measurement.

The HLQ was used to assess HL amongst SAN sailors. Results indicate that SAN personnel have above average HL knowledge and skills which may be attributed to the accessibility of health support information and services as well as mandatory health screenings and evaluations.