Key results of the "Woman — a Health Model" project in the Republic of Buryatia: a focus group study

Aim. To assess health literacy (HL) among participants of the "Woman — a Health Model" project in the Republic of Buryatia.

Material and methods. The "Woman — a Health Model" project was implemented in the Republic of Buryatia. A total of 184 females aged  18 and older were surveyed online to assess their health status using the validated HLS19-Q-RUS questionnaire, developed based on an international questionnaire and standardized indices for four levels of health status. The survey also included a preventive dictation.

Results. An assessment of the health status of project participants in the Republic of Buryatia revealed that 50% of women had insufficient and problematic health status. Women aged 18-25 (66,7%) experienced the greatest difficulties in managing health information. According to the preventive dictation, only 50% of respondents in the 46-55 and 66-75 age groups correctly defined the concept of "health". Moreover, in the 18-25 age group, the understanding of this term is 100% incorrect. Furthermore, respondents of this age group lack a proper understanding of certain basic principles of healthy eating.

Conclusion. A low and insufficient level of HL was identified among project participants in the Republic of Buryatia, which made it possible to identify key areas for training women in the fundamentals of a healthy lifestyle and health information management skills based on the data obtained.

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