Examining Health literacy levels and its Association with Demographic Dynamics among Intra-City Commercial Drivers: Results from a Survey in Nigeria

Background and Objective: Considering the importance of intra-city commercial drivers to the developing nation’s economy like Nigeria and the chain effects of health neglect among them on the general wellbeing of all, understanding their health literacy level and its associated factors becomes imperative. This study, therefore, aims to examine health literacy levels and their associated and predicting factors among intra-city commercial drivers in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State, South-West, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This study is a descriptive type and a quantitative research method using a survey design was adopted. The participants of the study consist of commercial taxicabs drivers and tricycle riders in the city of Ibadan. Two hundred and three (203) commercial drivers participated in the study using a simple random sampling technique from twelve (12) purposively selected motor parks in Ibadan, Nigeria. A self-constructed questionnaire that focuses on two domains- demographic characteristics and health literacy was used as an instrument of data collection for the study. Data were collected within a six (6) week period (April 26-June 7, 2021). The collected data were analysed using simple percentages, mean and standard deviation, Univariate analysis and Logistic regression. Results: In the study, the weighted average of the health literacy of intra-city commercial drivers is 3.43 and 55.2% of the respondents have adequate health literacy while 44.8% of them have inadequate health literacy. Sex , marital status , religion, educational level and income (p=0.001) were found to be significantly associated with the health literacy status of the commercial drivers. Conclusion: This study highlights the need for stakeholders (government, health practitioners and providers, educators etc.) to make a concerted move through policy formulations, interventions, structured education, provision of information and effective communication to improve health literacy and general well-being of the commercial drivers.