Abstract
Women working in health care are thought to have higher health literacy and be more likely to take action to cope with health challenges. This study clarifies the relationship between health issues and health literacy among women working and studying in the medical field. This study surveyed 693 women (aged 18–49) affiliated with university hospitals and medical colleges in the Kanto region. Survey items included the Health Literacy Scale for Women of Reproductive Age (HLS), Japanese version of the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ), and Stress Checklist Short Form (PHRF). This study conducted U-tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests to evaluate the association between basic attributes and health literacy, and logistic regression analysis to examine the association between MDQ and PHRF and health literacy. Analysis revealed that respondents scored higher than the general average for their gender on the HLS (61.3 ± 14.3), MDQ (29.2 ± 25.0), and PHRF (15.4 ± 9.8). Respondents who reported having a support system in place at their organization had significantly higher health literacy values across all four PHRF subscales. Additionally, the MDQ subscale “behavioral change” was significantly associated with the HLS subscales “women's choice for adopting health information and practice” and “self-care during menstruation,” while the MDQ subscales “water retention” and “negative affect” were significantly associated with the HLS subscale “self-care during menstruation.” Results suggest the need to provide education to enhance health literacy and establish support systems to reduce stress and premenstrual symptoms in order to maintain and improve the health of women in healthcare-related employment.
