Disparities in COVID-19 related health literacy, knowledge, and the assessment of the measures taken in Germany: a cross-sectional study

AIM: Health literacy is necessary to access, understand, assess, and apply information on COVID-19. Studies have shown that health literacy is unequally distributed across social groups. This study aimed to analyze the differences in COVID-19-related health literacy (hereinafter referred to as “COV-19-HL”), knowledge about COVID-19, and the assessment of the measures taken regarding the sociodemographic characteristics as well as the influence of COV-19-HL on knowledge and assessments. SUBJECT AND METHODS: The study used the data obtained from the cross-sectional online survey “Digital divide in relation to health literacy during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The data covers 1570 participants aged ≥18 years in Germany between April 29, 2020 and May 8, 2020. To analyze the differences by way of sociodemographic variables, t-tests and analyses of variance were carried out. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine the effect of COV-19-HL on knowledge and the assessment of measures. RESULTS: The overall COV-19-HL was high with an average value of 37.4 (with 50 representing the highest COV-19-HL). COV-19-HL and knowledge about COVID-19 were slightly lower in men, migrants, people with low subjective social status, and with low education. Government requirements and recommendations were rated as more effective by women, older people, and individuals with a chronic illness. The chance of better knowledge about COVID-19 and rating measures as effective increased with higher COV-19-HL. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study show that COV-19-HL and knowledge about the virus are unequally distributed in Germany. Health communication should strengthen pandemic-related health literacy that is tailored to specific target groups.