Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
2022
Abstract
Health literacy has become an integral component of human life, and it plays a significant role in ensuring safety from a variety of deadly diseases. India's health literacy rate is below average when compared to other countries. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, doctors and volunteers from all over the world have been striving to promote health literacy to raise public awareness through various media. Given the foregoing, the main objective of this study is to identify the level of Covid-19 related health literacy among working LIS professionals at Jamia Millia Islamia's Dr.Zakir Husain Central Library. The survey approach is being used in this study's methodology. For ease of understanding, a well-structured questionnaire was created in both Hindi and English. A total of 54 questionnaires were distributed, with 40 completed questionnaires received. The key findings demonstrate that 100% of LIS professionals are aware of health literacy, and that the most common source of health information is family/friends 23(57.5%), followed by doctors 19 (47.5%). Electronic media (short clip videos provided by health organisations) is the most favoured medium for obtaining health-related information, i.e. 38. (95%). Furthermore, respondents are well-versed on COVID-19 transmission mechanisms; yet, respondents' difficulties in obtaining health information are attributed to a lack of understanding of health literacy sources. Another significant finding from the study is that 100% of respondents believe that libraries can play an essential role in improving health literacy among academic community. The entire work is based on original research and serves as a resource for other scholars working in the same field.