Fatma SÖYLEMEZ, Merve AVCI, Gülistan POLAT
Turkish Journal of Public Health - 2026;24(1):88-96
Objective: This study aimed to determine individuals' health literacy and cyberchondria severity and related factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. The population of the study consisted of individuals who were aged >=18 years and lived in the central county of Bitlis province. Data were collected face to face by applying a questionnaire to 400 volunteers who agreed to participate in the study. Data collection tools included the Turkish Health Literacy Scale-32, and the Cyberchondria Severity Scale. Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis, independent samples t-test and One Way ANOVA test were used in the analyses. Further analyses were performed with Tamhane's T2 and Bonferroni correction. Spearman test was utilized for correlation analysis. P<0.05 was considered the level of significance for statistical analyses. Results: The mean age of the individuals participating in the study was 37.31+/-0.67 (min.: 18 and max.: 64), 59% were female, and 41% were male. The median value of the health literacy index was significantly higher in individuals who were married, lived in the provincial center, or had social security. It was significantly lower in individuals who were non-literate (p<0.05). The mean cyberchondria scale score was significantly higher in individuals who were single, were tradesmen, had more income than their expenses, did not have social security, or did not have chronic diseases (p<0.05). The correlation between health literacy and cyberchondria was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: More than half of the individuals had low health literacy levels. No significant correlation was found between cyberchondria and health literacy.
