Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Health literacy and substance use in young Swiss men

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Public Health

Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of the present study was to describe health literacy and its association with substance use among young men.

Methods

The present study was part of the Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors that included 11,930 Swiss males participating in initial screening from August 2010 to July 2011. Self-completed questionnaires covered use of three substances and three components of health literacy.

Results

Roughly 22 % reported having searched the Internet for health information and 16 % for information on substances over the past 12 months. At-risk and not at-risk users of alcohol (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.50 and 1.46), tobacco (AOR = 2.51 and 1.79) and cannabis (AOR = 4.86 and 3.53) searched for information about substances significantly more often via the Internet than abstainers. Furthermore, at-risk users reported better knowledge of risks associated with substance use and a marginally better ability to understand health information than abstainers.

Conclusions

Substance users appear to be more informed and knowledgeable about the risks of substance use than non-users. Consequently, interventions that focus only on information provision may be of limited benefit for preventing substance use.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Association romande CIAO (2012) Statistiques 2012 du site ciao.ch. Lausanne: Association romande CIAO

  • Baker L, Wagner TH, Singer S, Bundorf MH (2003) Use of the Internet and e-mail for health care information. JAMA 289:2400–2406

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bansil P, Keenan NL, Zlot AI, Gilliland JC (2006) Health-related information on the Web: results from the HealthStyles Survey, 2002–2003. Prev Chron Dis 3(2):A36

    Google Scholar 

  • Battersby M, Ask A, Reece M, Markwick M, Collins J (2003) The partners in health scale: the development and psychometric properties of a generic assessment scale for chronic condition self-management. Aust J Prim Health 9:41–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergsma LJ, Carney ME (2008) Effectiveness of health-promoting media literacy education: a systematic review. Health Educ Res 23(3):522–542

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berkman ND, Davis TC, McCormack L (2010) Health literacy: what is it? J Health Commun 15:9–19

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berkman ND, Sheridan SL, Donahue KE, Halpern DJ, Crotty K (2011) Low health literacy and health outcomes: an updated systematic review. Ann Intern Med 155(2):97–107

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Borzekowski DLG, Rickert VI (2001) Adolescents, the Internet, and health-issues of access and content. J Appl Dev Psychol 22(1):49–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Detmer DE, Singleton PD, MacLeod A, Wait S, Taylor M, Ridgwell J (2003) The informed patient: study report. Cambridge University Health, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Eaton DK, Kann L, Kinchen S, Ross J, Hawkins J, Harris WA, Lowry R, McManus T, Chyen D, Shanklin S, Lim C, Grunbaum JA, Wechsler H (2006) Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2005. J Sch Health 76(7):353–372

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Farrelly MC, Niederdeppe J, Yarsevich J (2003) Youth tobacco prevention mass media campaigns: past, present, and future directions. Tob Control 12:I35–I47

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez R, Glik D, Davoudi M, Ang A (2004) Media literacy and public health: integrating theory, research, and practice for tobacco control. Am Behav Sci 48(2):189–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant JD, Scherrer JF, Lynskey MT, Agrawal A, Duncan AE, Haber JR, Heath AC, Bucholz KK (2012) Associations of alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and drug use/dependence with educational attainment: evidence from cotwin-control analyses. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 36(8):1412–1420

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gray NJ, Klein JD, Noyce PR, Sesselberg TS, Cantrill JA (2005) Health information seeking behaviour in adolescence: the place of the internet. Soc Sci Med 60:1467–1478

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ivanitskaya L, O’Boyle I, Casey AM (2006) Health information literacy and competencies of information age students: results from the interactive online research readiness self-assessment (RRSA). J Med Internet Res 8(2):e6

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jiménez Pernett J, de Labry Olry, Lima A, Bermúdez Tamayo C, García Gutiérrez JF, MdC Salcedo Sánchez (2010) Use of the internet as a source of health information by Spanish adolescents. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 10:6

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jordan JE, Osborne RH, Buchbinder R (2011) Critical appraisal of health literacy indices revealed variable underlying constructs, narrow content and psychometric weaknesses. J Clin Epidemiol 64(4):366–379

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kickbusch I, Maag D (2005) Health literacy: towards an active health citizenship. In: Sprenger M. (Hrsg.) Public Health in Österreich und Europa. Festschrift anlässlich der Emeritierung von Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Horst Richard Noack PhD. Lengreich: Papst Science Publishers

  • Kummervold PE, Chronaki CE, Lausen B, Prokosch H-U, Rasmussen J, Santana S, Staniszewski A, Wangberg SC (2008) eHealth trends in Europe 2005–2007: a population-based survey. J Med Internet Res 10(4):e42

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Manganello JA (2008) Health literacy and adolescents: a framework and agenda for future research. Health Educ Res 23(5):840–847

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller WR (2006) Motivational factors in addictive behaviors. In: Miller WR, Carroll KM (eds) Rethinking substance use: what the science shows, and what we should do about it. The Guilford Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen-Bohlman L, Panzer AM, Kindig DA (eds) (2004) Health literacy: a prescription to end confusion. The National Academies Press, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Norman CD, Skinner HA (2006) eHealth literacy: essential skills for consumer health in a networked world. J Med Internet Res 8(2):e9

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paasche-Orlow MK, Parker RM, Gazmararian JA, Nielsen-Bohlman LT, Rudd RR (2005) The prevalence of limited health literacy. J Gen Intern Med 20(2):175–184

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Padlina O (2007). Ergebnisse aus einer internetbasierten Studie im schulischen Setting über feelok und über das Gesundheitsverhalten der Jugendlichen. Zürich: Institut für Sozial- und Präventivmedizin (Universität Zürich) und Zentrum für Organisations- und Arbeitswissenschaften (ETH Zürich)

  • Pinkleton BE, Weintraub Austin E, Hust SJT, Cohen M (2005) Evaluation of an American Legacy Foundation Washington State department of health media literacy pilot study. Health Commun 18(1):75–95

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Primack BA, Sidani J, Carroll MV, Fine MJ (2009) Associations between smoking and media literacy among college students. J Health Commun 14:541–555

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rehm J, Taylor B, Room R (2006) Global burden of disease from alcohol, illicit drugs and tobacco. Drug Alcohol Rev 25(6):503–513

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Renahy E, Parizot I, Chauvin P (2008) Health information seeking on the Internet: a double divide? Results from a representative survey in the Paris metropolitan area, France, 2005–2006. BMC Public Health 8:69

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rideout V (2001) How young people use the internet for health information. Generation Rx.com, Kaiser Family Foundation, Menlo Park

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosendahl KI, Galanti MR, Gilljam H, Ahlbom A (2005) Knowledge about tobacco and subsequent use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco among Swedish adolescents. J Adolesc Health 37:224–228

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salgado MV, Perez-Stable EJ, Primack BA, Kaplan CP, Mejia RM, Gregorich SE, Alderete E (2012) Association of media literacy with cigarette smoking among youth in Jujuy, Argentina. Nicotine Tob Res 14(5):516–521

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Santelli JS, Robin L, Brener ND, Lowry R (2001) Timing of alcohol and other drug use and sexual risk behaviors among unmarried adolescents and young adults. Fam Plann Perspect 33(5):200–205

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siquilini R, Ceruti M, Lovato E, Bert F, Bruno S, De Vito E, Liguori G, Manzoli L, Messina G, Minniti D, La Torre G (2011) Surfing the Internet for health information: an Italian survey on use and population choices. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 11:21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner H, Biscope S, Poland B, Goldberg E (2003) How adolescents use technology for health information: implications for health professionals from focus group studies. J Med Internet Res 5(4):e32

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wakefield MA, Loken B, Hornik RC (2010) Use of mass media campaigns to change health behaviour. Lancet 376(9748):1261–1271

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Schmid MR. Swiss Health Literacy Survey (HLS CH). Oral plenary presentation at the Swiss Public Health Conference, 25–27 Aug 2009, in Zurich, Switzerland

  • Wang J, Schmid MR, Thombs BD (2012) The Swiss Health Literacy Survey: development and psychometric properties of a multidimensional instrument to assess competencies for health. Health Expect

  • Weintraub Austin E, Johnson KK (1997) Immediate and delayed effects of media literacy training on third graders’ decision making for alcohol. Health Commun 9(4):323–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weintraub Austin E, Pinkleton BE, Funabiki RP (2007) The desirability paradox in the effects of media literacy training. Commun Res 34(5):483–506

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams J, Clemens S, Oleinikova K, Tarvin K (2003) The skills for life survey: a national needs and impact assessment of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills. Department for Education and Skills, London

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Charlotte Eidenbenz for her extensive efforts in coordinating the study. This work has been supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (33CS30_139467).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Zurich, Hirschengraben 84, 8001, Zurich, Switzerland

    Petra Dermota, Jen Wang, Michelle Dey & Meichun Mohler-Kuo

  2. Alcohol Treatment Centre, Lausanne University Hospital CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Gerhard Gmel & Joseph Studer

Authors
  1. Petra Dermota
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jen Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michelle Dey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Gerhard Gmel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Joseph Studer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Meichun Mohler-Kuo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Meichun Mohler-Kuo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dermota, P., Wang, J., Dey, M. et al. Health literacy and substance use in young Swiss men. Int J Public Health 58, 939–948 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-013-0487-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-013-0487-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation