Coronavirus Anxiety and Health Literacy in Women: An Intergenerational Study in Türkiye

Abstract

Objective: Women are already exposed to negativity physically, socially, psychologically and economically because of the gender inequality of society. The addition of the COVID-19 pandemic to this situation means that women must be counted as a disadvantaged group. On the other hand, women’s primary role in family and child development makes their knowledge and practice in the field of health that is important. The aim of this study was to examine the health literacy and coronavirus anxiety of women in terms of generations X, Y and Z. Material and Method: The research has a descriptive and cross-sectional design. The research was conducted with 450 women who applied to a family health center between March and June 2022. The population of the study consisted of women aged 18-57, representing the X, Y, and Z generations registered at the family health center. A description form, the Turkish Health Literacy Scale and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and Shapiro- Wilk test were used to assess the normality of the variables, along with box plot graphs. In the comparison of variables across groups where normal distribution was not observed, the Kruskal-Wallis test was employed. For the significant variables, post hoc evaluations were conducted using the Dunn test. Spearman's correlation analysis was used for evaluating relationships between quantitative variables. In the evaluation of categorical variables, Pearson Chi-square test and Fisher Freman Halton test were used, and for post hoc significance in multivariate designs, Compare Colon Proportions Adjust Bonferroni test was used. Results: Our study conducted with women seeking care at primary health care institutions demonstrated differences in health literacy and coronavirus anxiety among women from the X, Y, and Z generations. It was found that the generation with the highest health literacy score was the Y generation, and the highest anxiety scores were in the X generation. As the total scores for health literacy increased in the Y and Z generations, it was observed that the level of coronavirus anxiety decreased. Also, there was a statistical difference between generations in the participants’ sources of information on COVID-19. Conclusions: In this study, it was observed that health literacy has a positive impact on coronavirus anxiety across all generations. This effect was particularly significant in Generations Y and Z. It is believed that generational studies related to health could be beneficial in understanding differences among women in different age groups.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• health literacy
• anxiety
• generation gap
• women

Kadınlarda Koronavirüs Anksiyetesi ve Sağlık Okuryazarlığı: Türkiye’de Kuşaklararası Bir Araştırma

Abstract

Amaç: Kadınlar toplumsal cinsiyet eşitsizliği nedeniyle fiziksel, sosyal, psikolojik ve ekonomik açıdan birçok olumsuzluğa maruz kalmaktadır. Bu olumsuzluklara COVID-19 salgınının da eklenmesi kadınların dezavantajlı gruplara dahil olmasını gerektirmiştir. Öte yandan kadının aile ve çocuk gelişimindeki öncelikli rolü, sağlık alanındaki bilgi ve uygulamalarını önemli kılmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı kadınlarda sağlık okuryazarlığı ve koronavirüs anksiyetesinin X, Y ve Z kuşakları açısından incelenmesidir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Araştırma, tanımlayıcı ve kesitsel tasarımdadır. Araştırma, Mart-Haziran 2022 tarihinde, bir aile sağlığı merkezinde 450 kadın ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmanın evrenini aile sağlığı merkezine kayıtlı X, Y ve Z kuşağını oluşturan 18-57 yaş aralığındaki kadınlar oluşturmuştur. Verilerin toplanmasında Tanımlayıcı Veri Formu, Türkiye Sağlık Okuryazarlığı Ölçeği ve Koronavirüs Anksiyete Ölçeği kullanıldı. Verilerin analizinde tanımlayıcı istatistikler kullanıldı. Değişkenlerin normal dağılıma uygunluklarında Kolmogorov-Smirnov test; Shapiro-Wilk test ve box plot grafikleri kullanıldı. Normal dağılım göstermeyen değişkenlerin kuşaklararası karşılaştırmalarında Kruskal-Wallis test, anlamlı çıkan değişkenlerin post-hoc değerlendirmelerinde Dunn test kullanıldı. Nicel değişkenler arası ilişkilerin değerlendirilmesinde Spearman’s korelasyon analizi kullanıldı. Kategorik değişkenlerin değerlendirmelerinde Pearson Ki kare test ve Fisher Freman Halton test, çok gözlü düzenlerde post hoc anlamlılıklar için ise Compare Column Proportions Adjust Bonferroni test kullanıldı. Bulgular: Birinci basamak sağlık kuruluşuna başvuran kadınlarla yapılan çalışmamız, X, Y ve Z kuşaklarındaki kadınlar arasında sağlık okuryazarlığı ve koronavirüs anksiyetesi açısından farklılıklar olduğunu gösterdi. Sağlık okuryazarlığı puanı en yüksek olan kuşağın Y, anksiyete puanının en yüksek olduğu kuşağın ise X kuşağı olduğu belirlendi. Y ve Z kuşağında sağlık okuryazarlığının toplam puan ortalamaları arttıkça koronavirüs anksiyete düzeyinin azaldığı tespit edildi. Ayrıca katılımcıların COVİD-19 ile ilgili bilgi kaynaklarında da kuşaklar arasında istatistiksel bir fark vardı. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada, tüm kuşaklarda sağlık okuryazarlığının koronavirüs anksiyetesi üzerinde olumlu etkisi olduğu görüldü. Bu etkinin özellikle Y ve Z kuşağında anlamlı olduğu belirlendi. Sağlıkla ilgili kuşak çalışmalarının, değişik yaş grubu kadınlar arasındaki farklılıkları anlamada fayda sağlayabileceği düşünülmektedir.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• sağlık okuryazarlığı
• anksiyete
• kuşak farkı
• kadınlar

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