As a critical determinant of health at a population level, knowing health literacy
is essential for effective health promotion and for the positive influence on health
status. However, very little research has focused on this topic in Hungary. We aimed
to measure health literacy and find the factors affecting it among the adult population
in Nyíregyháza city. The results contribute to improving health literacy, thus improving
health behaviour, which is needed to develop individual and community strategies.
Our study was carried out in the framework of the “Quality of life of Nyiregyháza
– Household Panel” research, by using two health literacy measurement tools, the Newest
Vital Sign and the perception-based Chew screening questions. The selected respondents
were required to be over 18 years of age and had to be permanent residents of the
city. Interviewers questioned the selected 541 households in the months of April–May
2018. Out of the 541 households, 391 households answered the questionnaires, which
represents a 72.3% response rate. The average rate of health literacy level among
the adult population in Nyíregyháza is in line with other Hungarian studies that previously
measured the average rate of health literacy at population level. The results show
that the health literacy of the population of the city is most affected by their educational
level. Our research reveals that the health literacy of the population is not significantly
affected by their economic activity and income at local level. The need for the development
of interventions within the framework of inter-professional cooperation that improve
the level of health literacy, and focus on the low-educated population groups is urgent.
