Influence of Health Literacy Towards Health Communication Competence Among Kelantanese: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Only 6.6% of Malaysian adults were found to have an adequate level of health literacy, though it can be considered as one of the most crucial and basic knowledge that should be possessed by every individual. Expected to be sick at least once in a lifetime, pressuring Malaysians to be literate about their health. It was known to the world of health-related research that this health literacy may help the individuals to competently communicate their health conditions to the healthcare providers, signifying the importance of this study to be conducted. This study applied a cross-sectional study design, was conducted to investigate the relationship between the domains of health literacy which comprised of health care, disease prevention and health promotion towards B40 Kelantanese health communication competence. By using a quota sampling, a total of 100 B40 Kelantanese from Kota Bharu and Bachok districts were approached, and each of the district was represented by 50 respondents. A set of self-administered questionnaires was used during the physical, face to face data collection process. The results from the correlational analysis revealed that there were significant strong positive relationships between domains of health literacy towards the Kota Bharu urban community’s health communication competence, while in Bachok, the strength of the relationships was moderate. Other than that, multiple regression analysis has also shown the opposing findings on the influence of health literacy towards the health communication competence. For Bachok, none of the independent variable can predict the communication competence while for Kota Bharu, the results showed otherwise. Health care and health promotion were the domains that can affect the health communication competence among Kelantanese who live in Kota Bharu, leaving the domain of disease prevention as a non-predictor. Furthermore, a few recommendations have been suggested for the respective District and State Health Departments as well as suggestions for future researchers.