Cinsiyete Göre Sağlık Okuryazarlığı ile Sağlık Arama Davranışları Arasındaki İlişki

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışma, cinsiyetin sağlık arama davranışları üzerindeki etkisini ve sağlık okuryazarlığı ile sağlık arama davranışları arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Materyal ve Metot: Bu kesitsel çalışma, 18 yaş ve üzeri bireyleri kapsamıştır. Gerekli minimum örneklem büyüklüğü 381 katılımcıydı ve veriler, Sağlık Arama Davranışı Ölçeği ile Avrupa Sağlık Okuryazarlığı Ölçeği (HLS19-Q12) kullanılarak 490 kişiden toplanmıştır. Veriler, IBM SPSS Statistics sürüm 25.0 kullanılarak betimsel istatistikler, ki-kare testi, bağımsız örneklemler t-testi, tek yönlü varyans analizi ve korelasyon analizi ile analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular: Katılımcıların %56,3’ü kadın, %43,7’si erkekti. Sağlık okuryazarlığı cinsiyete göre istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir farklılık gösterdi (χ² = 8,697, p = 0,034); kadınlar, erkeklere kıyasla yeterli ve mükemmel düzeyde sağlık okuryazarlığı açısından daha yüksek puanlar elde etti. Kadınlar ayrıca çevrimiçi sağlık arama davranışı (t = 1,985, p = 0,048), profesyonel sağlık arama davranışı (t = 4,481, p < 0,001) ve genel sağlık arama davranışı (t = 2,749, p = 0,006) açısından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı derecede daha yüksek puanlar almıştır. Geleneksel sağlık arama davranışında ise cinsiyetler arasında anlamlı bir fark gözlemlenmemiştir (p = 0,692). Eğitim düzeyi hem sağlık okuryazarlığı hem de sağlık arama davranışıyla anlamlı bir ilişki gösterirken, yaş ve medeni durum ile böyle bir ilişki bulunmamıştır. Sağlık okuryazarlığı, sağlık arama davranışıyla pozitif bir korelasyon göstermiştir. Sonuç: Kadınlar, erkeklere kıyasla daha yüksek sağlık okuryazarlığı sergilemiş ve sağlık arama davranışlarına daha fazla katılım göstermiştir. Eğitim düzeyi hem sağlık okuryazarlığı hem de sağlık arama davranışıyla ilişkili bulunmuştur. Bu bulgular, cinsiyete duyarlı müdahalelerin ve sağlık okuryazarlığını artırmak için stratejilerin, sağlık kullanımını artırabileceğini ve daha bilinçli sağlıkla ilgili karar alma süreçlerini destekleyebileceğini göstermektedir.

Keywords

• Cinsiyet
• sağlık davranışı
• sağlık hizmetlerinden yararlanma
• sağlık okuryazarlığı

Ethical Statement

Veri toplamadan önce, Bartin Üniversitesi Beşeri ve Sosyal Bilimler Etik Komitesi'nden etik onay alındı (Tarih: 24.04.2025, karar no: 2025-SBB-0288). Çalışma, Helsinki Bildirgesi'nin ilkelerine uygun olarak yürütüldü. Katılım gönüllüydü ve veri toplanmadan önce tüm katılımcılardan elektronik olarak bilgilendirilmiş onayı alındı.

The Relationship Between Health-Seeking Behaviours and Health Literacy by Gender

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of gender on health-seeking behaviour and the relationship between health literacy and health-seeking behaviour. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included individuals aged 18 years and older. The required minimum sample size was 381 participants, and data were collected from 490 individuals using the Health-Seeking Behaviour Scale and the European Health Literacy Scale (HLS19-Q12). Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.0 with descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, the independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and correlation analysis. Results: Of the participants, 56.3% were female, and 43.7% were male. Health literacy differed significantly by gender (χ² = 8.697, p = 0.034), with women demonstrating higher levels of adequate and excellent health literacy than men. Women also had significantly higher scores for online health-seeking behaviour (t = 1.985, p = 0.048), professional health-seeking behaviour (t = 4.481, p < 0.001), and overall health-seeking behaviour (t = 2.749, p = 0.006). No significant gender difference was observed in traditional health-seeking behaviour (p = 0.692). Educational attainment was significantly associated with both health literacy and health-seeking behaviour, whereas age and marital status were not. Health literacy was positively correlated with health-seeking behaviour. Conclusion: Women demonstrated higher health literacy and greater engagement in health-seeking behaviours than men. Educational attainment was also associated with both health literacy and health-seeking behaviour. These findings suggest that gender-sensitive interventions and strategies to improve health literacy may enhance healthcare utilisation and support more informed health-related decision-making.

Keywords

• Gender
• health behavior
• health literacy
• health services utilization

Ethical Statement

Before data collection, ethical approval was obtained from the Bartin University Ethics Committee for Humanities and Social Sciences (Date: 24.04.2025, decision no: 2025-SBB-0288). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Participation was voluntary, and informed consent was obtained electronically from all participants before data collection.

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