Health Literacy Regarding Infectious Disease Predicts COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors: A Pathway Analysis

Wang, Hui; Cheong, Pak Leng; Wu, JianWei; Van, Iat Kio

Health literacy has been identified as one vital determinant of public health and healthy behaviors, but very few studies regarding infectious disease prevention have been found. This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to validate the pathway of infectious disease-specific health literacy (IDSHL), COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) preventive behaviors, and their determinants. A sample of 1459 casino workers in Macao was eligible for analysis. The concept model was verified with a comparative fit index of 0.937 and goodness-of-fit index of 0.971. Government responses was a significant determinant of situational factors (helpfulness of health information, resource accessibility, and organizational training adequacy), while situational factors showed a direct effect on COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Education and organization training adequacy was the strongest influencing factor of IDSHL, which should be a key target of intervention programs for COVID-19.