The mediating role of health literacy in the relationship between self-care and planned behavior against Covid-19

Abstract

Abstract Background Planned behaviors and self-care against the coronavirus are two important factor in controlling its spread and self-care behaviors depend on the level of health literacy. This research was conducted to determine the mediating role of health literacy in the relationship between elements of planned behavior and self-care in dealing with the Covid-19. Methods In this descriptive-analytical quantitative study, the sample size was calculated using Cochrane’s formula and considering a p-value of 0.51, α = 0.05, and d = 0.05, and 313 students were selected based on stratified and random method. To gather data and assess various aspects of variables, a questionnaires were utilized, focusing on health literacy, self-car and planned behavior. The relationship between the variables was examined by SPSS version 26 and via descriptive statistics, including the mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as Pearson’s correlation coefficient (P = 0.05), path analysis, and determining the standard coefficients between self-care and planned behavior, mediated by the indicators of the health literacy. Results A significant difference was found between the level of health literacy of women and men. The comparison of the mean health literacy and self-care behavior in terms of other variables did not show any significant difference. Meanwhile, the comparison of health status control behaviors, hand washing, and mask use did not show any significant difference between the two groups. A positive and significant correlation was found between self-care behaviors, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention. The relationship of health literacy and psychological variables of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control with self-care against COVID-19 was significant. Conclusion The direct and significant impact of health literacy on individuals’ self-care behaviors against the coronavirus was not observed. However, health literacy did have a significant effect on subjective norms. This finding is important because subjective norms significantly influenced individuals’ behavioral intention, which in turn had a significant effect on self-care behaviors against the coronavirus. Thus, health literacy played a mediating role in this relationship. Furthermore, attitude emerged as the strongest predictor of behavioral intention, exerting a direct effect. Conversely, perceived behavioral control did not directly and significantly affect students’ self-care behaviors.

Keywords

• Health literacy
• Self-care
• Theory of planned behavior
• Covid-19
• Pandemic