Health Literacy Levels of Individuals Between 18-65 Years Old and Its Effect on Rational Drug Use

Aim: This study aims to determine a relationship between factors, such as the health literacy levels of individuals and their drug (medicine) utilization habits, and sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we used a questionnaire to ascertain the sociodemographic attributes of individuals and their drug utilization habits and the Turkish Health Literacy Scale to measure their health literacy levels. The Student T-Test was used to compare means in independent groups. The relationship between categorical variables was evaluated using the Chi-Square Test. Results: It was determined that the 402 participants had a mean age of 41.15±11.58 years, 52.2% of them were women, and 53.2% were university graduates. The mean overall index score of the Turkish Health Literacy Scale was 30.39±7.82. For 45.5% of the participants, the health literacy rate was problematic-limited. Comparing participants over 40.5 years old to those of age 40.5 years and younger and participants with a level of education up to high school graduate to those who were at least a university graduate, we found the first ones to have lower average scores. Individuals with irrational drug utilization habits had significantly lower overall index score means. Conclusion: Effective policies and regulations addressing the plunging health literacy levels need to be planned and implemented throughout the community. Increasing the level of health literacy will have a positive effect on the drug use habits of individuals. Keywords: health literacy, drug misuse, drug therapy