Health literacy among parents of primary school students in Shanghai

Objective To evaluate health literacy among parents of primary school students in Shanghai.Methods A total of 1 912 pupils from 4 primary schools in Shanghai urban area and 1 371 pupils from 2 primary schools in suburb area were selected by convenient sampling method.The Chinese Citizens Health Literacy Questionnaire was implemented among parents among all participants during September and October in 2015.Results Among all the parents surveyed,21.6% of them possessed health literacy.Parents with higher education levels possessed higher health literacy.35% parents with master education level possessed health literacy,and the figure was only 11% among parents with "junior middle school or below".About 24.56% local Shanghai and foreign national parents possessed higher health literacy,compared with parents whose children registered out of Shanghai(16.69%).In addition,only 0.27% parents could identify all safety signs properly;only 7.58% parents were aware of diseases infected through mosquitoes,flies,mice and cockroaches properly and 10.94% parents were able to avoid sharing towels with others.Conclusion It's necessary to promote health literacy among parents with low education background and migrant workers.