First aid-related health literacy among urban residents in Jiangsu province, 2022: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

ObjectiveTo understand the status and influencing factors of first aid-related health literacy among urban residents in Jiangsu province and and to provide a reference for improving the health literacy in the population. MethodsUsing a multistage stratified cluster sampling method and a self-designed questionnaire, we conducted a face-to-face survey among 2 804 urban residents aged 10 years and above in three cities of Jiangsu province from July to September 2022 to collect the residents’ information on first aid-related health literacy. T-test, analysis of variance, and chi-squared test were used for univariate analysis, and a decision tree algorithm model was created for multivariate analysis. ResultsThe participants’ mean score for overall first aid-related health literacy was 14.40 ± 7.965 out of a total score of 45, and only 7.99% of the participants were classified as having qualified literacy (scored 27 points and above). The proportion of individuals with qualified dimension-specific first aid-related health literacy (scoring ≥ 60% of the total score) was 17.58% for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, 22.47% for trauma care, 16.01% for accidental injury care, 5.53% for critical care, and 34.91% for emergency response, with significant differences in the proportions among participants in different cities, at different ages, with different levels of education, and in different occupations (all P < 0.05). The decision tree model analysis showed that the importance of factors influencing first aid-related health literacy were, in descending order, occupation, education level, city, and age. ConclusionFirst aid-related health literacy is relatively low among urban residents in Jiangsu province, with particularly low levels of critical care, accidental injury management, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, suggesting that targeted first aid education needs to be promoted among the population.

Keywords

• first aid-related health literacy
• influencing factor
• decision tree