A Study of Relation between Health Literacy and Methods of Obtaining Health Information of Librarians of Astan Quds Razavi Central Library during the Corona Pandemic

The present study was performed aiming to investigate the relationship between health literacy and the resources of gaining health literacy among the librarians working at Astan Quds Razavi. Health literacy is an important factor which preserves and promotes health and prevents disease. Gaining and increasing the health literacy leads to an increase in the health and life quality of people. Therefore, health literacy determines the health level.

This study was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive correlational in terms of methodology. Its data were collected using health literacy questionnaire applied by Montazeri and colleagues (2015) and the resources of gaining health literacy. The questionnaire included six attributes including accessability, study skills, understanding, evaluation, health information decision and application of health information. In order to confirm the validity of the research tools, the comments and viewpoints of some professors teaching at Imam Reza International University of Mashhad, Iran, were applied. In order to study the reliability, Cronbach’s alpha was used. The total alpha coefficient for the health literacy was 0.95 and it was 0.7 for other dimensions of health literacy. This shows the reliability of the research tools. Considering the research time and place, the population was composed of all librarians working at Astan Quds Razavi library from 2020 to 2021 (160 persons); all were working during the corona pandemic as employed, contract, temporary contract, and daily staff. For the present study, considering the population features, random sampling was done among the librarians, and so 112 ones were selected.

The research findings indicated that the librarians’ health literacy level is higher than average; and gaining health literacy was mostly done through the internet, the virtual world and audio-visual media. Based on the findings, health literacy has a significant relationship with the resources of gaining health information such as internet, the virtual world, and participating in workshops and conferences related to Corona; moreover, there is a significant relationship between health and the dimensions of deciding upon health information and its application via audio-visual media.

The findings of this research showed that there is no significant relationship between health literacy and the resources of gaining health information through doctors and nurses as well as knowledgeable people among relatives and friends and merely, there is a significant relationship between the dimensions of deciding upon health information as well as its application and the resources of gaining health information through the staff of medical centers and relatives and friends. Hence, utilizing such resources can increase the librarians’ health literacy.