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Table 2 Percentage of respondents giving each response for all health literacy items

From: Comprehensive health literacy in Japan is lower than in Europe: a validated Japanese-language assessment of health literacy

 

Health domain/Competence

Items

Very easy

Fairly easy

Fairly difficult

Very difficult

Don’t know/Not applicable

Total difficult (“Very difficult” and “Fairly difficult”)

        

Japan

Europea

Differences

Q1

Health care/Accessing

Finding information on symptoms of illnesses that concern you

7.7

41.4

37.8

8.3

4.8

46.1

22.8

23.3

Q2

Finding information on treatments of illnesses that concern you

6.0

36.0

41.3

12.0

4.7

53.3

26.9

26.4

Q3

Finding out what to do in case of a medical emergency

3.5

30.5

42.6

18.3

5.1

60.9

21.8

39.1

Q4

Finding out where to get professional help when you are ill

4.7

27.4

42.9

20.5

4.5

63.4

11.9

51.5

Q5

Health care/Understanding

Understanding what your doctor says to you

8.3

45.5

37.8

6.3

2.1

44.0

15.3

28.7

Q6

Understanding the leaflets that come with your medicine

11.4

46.1

31.8

9.0

1.7

40.8

28.0

12.8

Q7

Understanding what to do in a medical emergency

3.7

28.5

46.3

17.2

4.4

63.5

21.7

41.8

Q8

Understanding your doctor’s or pharmacist’s instructions on how to take a prescribed medicine

18.3

54.5

20.6

5.0

1.6

25.6

6.5

19.1

Q9

Health care/Appraising

Judging how information from your doctor applies to you

7.4

43.1

39.8

6.8

2.8

46.7

18.0

28.7

Q10

Judging the advantages and disadvantages of different treatment options

3.4

21.6

48.4

22.2

4.4

70.6

42.6

28.0

Q11

Judging when you may need to get a second opinion from another doctor

2.9

16.2

45.1

27.9

7.9

73.0

38.6

34.4

Q12

Judging if the information about illness in the media is reliable

2.8

17.6

51.4

21.8

6.5

73.2

49.7

23.5

Q13

Health care/Applying

Using information the doctor gives you to make decisions about your illness

5.4

39.8

40.5

8.8

5.5

49.3

23.1

26.2

Q14

Following the instructions on medication

27.8

54.0

13.6

3.2

1.4

16.8

6.8

10.0

Q15

Calling an ambulance in an emergency

19.9

38.4

26.8

10.1

4.8

36.8

8.8

28.0

Q16

Following instructions from your doctor or pharmacist

25.1

57.6

12.3

3.1

1.8

15.5

5.6

9.9

Q17

Disease Prevention/Accessing

Finding information about how to manage unhealthy behavior such as smoking, low physical activity and excessive drinking

17.2

52.1

22.4

5.9

2.5

28.3

14.7

13.6

Q18

Finding information on how to manage mental health problems such as stress or depression

6.4

36.1

39.1

13.9

4.6

52.9

33.5

19.4

Q19

Finding information about vaccinations and health screenings that you should have

10.5

45.3

32.8

7.3

4.1

40.1

24.0

16.1

Q20

Finding information on how to prevent or manage conditions such as being overweight, high blood pressure or high cholesterol

12.0

49.8

29.2

5.5

3.5

34.7

18.1

16.6

Q21

Disease Prevention/ Understanding

Understanding health warnings about behavior such as smoking, low physical activity and excessive drinking

36.9

45.9

12.3

3.6

1.2

15.9

10.3

5.6

Q22

Understanding why you need vaccinations

22.5

53.1

17.5

4.3

2.7

21.7

16.6

5.1

Q23

Understanding why you need health screenings

24.5

54.6

15.8

3.3

1.8

19.2

10.4

8.8

Q24

Disease Prevention/Appraising

Judging how reliable health warnings are, such as smoking, low physical activity and excessive drinking

22.1

49.0

21.9

3.9

3.1

25.8

14.4

11.4

Q25

Judging when you need to go to a doctor for a check-up

9.4

33.6

43.6

9.6

3.8

53.2

16.3

36.9

Q26

Judging which vaccinations you may need

7.3

30.2

44.9

12.1

5.5

57.0

32.7

24.3

Q27

Judging which health screenings you should have

9.4

34.2

40.5

12.2

3.7

52.8

25.1

27.7

Q28

Judging if the information on health risks in the media is reliable

5.0

25.1

49.1

15.1

5.6

64.2

42.1

22.1

Q29

Disease Prevention/ Applying

Deciding if you should have a flu vaccination

16.9

43.5

27.7

8.2

3.7

35.9

26.2

9.7

Q30

Deciding how you can protect yourself from illness based on advice from family and friends

7.5

38.4

39.1

9.4

5.6

48.5

22.2

26.3

Q31

Deciding how you can protect yourself from illness based on information in the media

6.4

36.5

42.5

9.6

5.0

52.1

36.9

15.2

Q32

Health Promotion/ Accessing

Finding information on healthy activities such as exercise, healthy food and nutrition

12.7

54.1

24.6

5.3

3.3

29.9

14.3

15.6

Q33

Finding out about activities that are good for your mental well-being

14.2

53.9

22.5

4.8

4.6

27.3

22.6

4.7

Q34

Finding information on how your neighborhood could be more health-friendly

7.9

38.3

39.8

8.2

5.9

47.9

40.3

7.6

Q35

Finding out about political changes that may affect health

5.2

25.8

44.6

18.5

5.9

63.1

53.2

9.9

Q36

Finding out about efforts to promote your health at work

7.9

35.7

30.6

7.3

18.5

38.0

34.8

3.2

Q37

Health Promotion/ Understanding

Understanding advice on health from family members or friends

12.0

52.0

25.9

4.6

5.6

30.5

13.0

17.5

Q38

Understanding information on food packaging

11.0

43.8

32.8

9.0

3.3

41.8

36.2

5.6

Q39

Understanding information in the media on how to get healthier

11.7

51.5

28.6

5.0

3.2

33.6

23.3

10.3

Q40

Understanding information on how to keep your mind healthy

6.9

39.4

39.9

9.4

4.4

49.3

26.1

23.2

Q41

Health Promotion/ Appraising

Judging how where you live affects your health and well-being

5.4

24.7

46.9

14.9

8.2

61.8

24.6

37.2

Q42

Judging how your housing conditions help you to stay healthy

6.4

27.4

46.2

12.7

7.3

58.9

19.5

39.4

Q43

Judging which everyday behavior is related to your health

10.3

41.2

36.1

9.5

2.9

45.5

12.6

32.9

Q44

Health Promotion/ Applying

Making decisions to improve your health

10.2

36.8

36.9

13.8

2.3

50.7

21.7

29.0

Q45

Joining a sports club or exercise class if you want to

9.1

29.4

36.8

19.5

5.1

56.4

24.1

32.3

Q46

Influencing your living conditions that affect your health and well-being

6.5

26.9

43.6

19.9

2.9

63.6

25.5

38.1

Q47

Taking part in activities that improve health and well-being in your community

4.8

23.3

44.7

19.9

7.2

64.6

38.9

25.7

  1. a8 countries, total n = 8102