Relationship between Health Literacy and Health-related Quality of Life and Work Life Quality of Employees in Golestan University of Medical Sciences

Simin Esmaeilpour Zanjani, Instructor, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Branch, Tehran, Iran S_esmaeilpour@yahoo. com Abstract Background and objectives: : As the most important assets of each organization, employees face numerous challenges, which can have adverse effects on the quality of their work life and productivity, physical and mental health, well-being, and different dimensions of their health-related quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between health literacy and health-related quality of life and work life quality of the employees in Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional research was conducted on 285 individuals working in the departments of Golestan University of Medical Sciences. Subjects were selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using Walton Standard Health Literacy Questionnaire, as well as Quality of Life and Work Life Quality questionnaires. In addition, data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16 using descriptive indicators (frequency, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (ANOVA, Tukey’s test, and Pearson’s correlation). Results: In this study, the mean age of the participants was 36.1263 years. According to one-way ANOVA, a significant difference was observed between the age groups and their health literacy level (P=0.04). Moreover, a significant association was found between health literacy and all aspects of health-related quality of life and work life quality of the participants (P=0.001). Conclusion: In the present study, the lowest score of quality of work life was related to fair payment, which showed the importance of more attention to this area by authorities and managers of universities.