Health literacy and mental well-being of school staff in times of crisis: A path analysis of sense of coherence, work-related stress, and health-protective behaviours
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Authors
Objectives: This paper examines the relationship between health literacy and mental well-being of school staff during distressful times. It examines the mediating roles of work-related stress, health-protective behaviours (i.e., attitudes about vaccination), and sense of coherence in the relationship between health literacy and mental well-being. Study design: A cross-sectional survey. Methods: Data were derived from 440 school staff who participated in a study on Health Literacy and Well-being of School Staff across all schools in Hong Kong. Structural Equation Modelling was used for path analysis. Results: Most (64.9 %) of the school staff had limited health literacy (i.e. problematic or inadequate). The mean score of their mental well-being was 51.4 out of 100 (±20.8), with around 18 % of them at risk of depression. Health literacy was not directly associated with mental well-being. Instead, it predicted mental well-being through work-related stress (B = 0.130, p = 0.036) and adoption of health-protective behaviours (B = 0.376, p = 0.021). Conclusion: While health literacy may not directly influence the mental well-being of school staff, it has a critical role in safeguarding mental well-being in times of distress by shaping positive attitudes towards protective health measures and managing sources of work stress.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 105749 |
Journal | Public Health |
Volume | 245 |
Number of pages | 7 |
ISSN | 0033-3506 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 08.2025 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Sustainable Development Goals
- Health behaviours, Health literacy, Hong Kong, Mental well-being, School staff, Sense of coherence
- Health sciences
- Psychology