Building a Measure for Health Literacy in Angola from the First Demographic Health Survey

Poster abstract: Health literacy is a determining factor for the health of the population and paramount in their ability to decide correctly on health issues. This study aimed to computing a health literacy indicator for Angola and to analyze characteristics related to that indicator. Data from 19,785 individuals aged between 15 and 49 years old, who participated in the first demographic health survey conducted in Angola, which included questions on health literacy defined by the Institute of Medicine. About 31, 4% of the respondents had high prevalence of health literacy. This is the first large scale investigation into health literacy in Angola.