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. 2019 May 8:47:31.
doi: 10.1186/s41182-019-0157-6. eCollection 2019.

Examining health literacy on cholera in an endemic community in Accra, Ghana: a cross-sectional study

Raymond Asare Tutu  1 , Sangeeta Gupta  2 , Janice Desire Busingye  3
Affiliations

Examining health literacy on cholera in an endemic community in Accra, Ghana: a cross-sectional study

Raymond Asare Tutu et al. Trop Med Health. .

Abstract

Background: The periodic and seasonal outbreaks of cholera in Ghana make the disease a vital health concern. The country is cholera endemic with several communities within cholera hotspots. This study, therefore, assesses health literacy on cholera and the association between health literacy competency and health outcome.

Methods: The study adopted a health literacy framework that theorized the pathways between health literacy and health outcomes controlling for confounding factors. A survey questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of 401 individual household heads in James Town, Accra, Ghana. Reliability analysis was undertaken to ascertain the internal consistency of the instrument. Bivariate methods of analyses used were chi-square tests, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. Binary logistic regression models were run to examine the relative effects of health literacy competency on health outcome (having not had cholera).

Results: There are substantial knowledge gaps about environmental risk factors for cholera like the presence of the cholera germ in coastal water, as well as the likelihood of contracting cholera due to overcrowded spaces. However, better knowledge on cholera risk factors was found to be associated with better health literacy competency (food safety and personal hygiene practices). An increase in health literacy competency score was associated with lower likelihood of having had cholera, after controlling for intermediate factors.

Conclusion: Furthering health literacy on cholera environmental risk factors as well as a deliberate and targeted effort in encouraging consistency in the translation of disease knowledge into healthier practices may improve the well-being of the people.

Keywords: Accra slums; Cholera; Ghana; Health literacy; Tropical health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The study received ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board of Delaware State University. All research protocols for the study were assessed and approved. This approval was partially dependent on an approval the authors acquired from the local authorities in the study site. Informed consent was obtained from each research participant.Through the consent forms, which were signed by the research participants, we obtained permission to publish the findings of the study without individual or personal data identifiers.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A conceptual framework for health literacy. Source: adapted from Lee at al. [32]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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