Assessment of health literacy in adult population of Karachi: a preliminary investigation for concept-based evidence.

Health literacy is pre-requisite for better health outcomes. Health literacy is an unexplored concept in Pakistan. This study aimed to assess concept-based health literacy level in the adult population of Karachi. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015, the respondents were recruited from three randomly selected towns of Karachi. A multistage random sampling technique was used to recruit 315 adult participants who were interviewed on validated the Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-Asia-Q). Basic demographics, responses of each question and health literacy matrix were used to compile the results. The health literacy was limited in the majority (82.4%) of the population. Health Promotion domain scored least on the matrix (24.3±9.8) irrespective of gender, age, education, and profession. Most of the respondents (70%) faced difficulty in finding and understanding health information for their well-being. The health educators (health care professionals) can play a major role in helping to enhance the health literacy and act as an advocate for health education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]