Analysis of traditional Chinese medicine health literacy and related influencing factors among office workers in Hongkou District, Shanghai

Objective To assess the level of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) health literacy among office workers and analyze its influencing factors so as to provide a basis for developing targeted interventions.

Methods From January to April 2025, a questionnaire survey was conducted among office workers from six commercial buildings in Hongkou District, Shanghai, to evaluate their TCM health literacy. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze its influencing factors.

Results A total of 937 office workers were surveyed, and 915 valid questionnaires were collected, with a valid response rate of 97.7%. The overall TCM health literacy level among respondents was 47.3%. The literacy levels in the dimensions of basic TCM concepts, healthy lifestyle, public-appropriate methods, cultural knowledge, and information comprehension ability of them were 59.0%, 61.5%, 13.1%, 54.4%, and 54.9%, respectively. Regression analysis showed that educational level, household monthly income per capita, and self-rated health status were the main influencing factors. The overall literacy level was higher in the junior college/bachelor's degree group (OR = 2.46, 95%CI: 1.41 to 4.32) and the master's degree or above group (OR = 3.60, 95%CI: 1.86 to 6.98) compared to the high school/vocational high school/technical secondary school group. The group with a household monthly income per capita of 10 000 to 19 999 RMB had a higher literacy than the group with < 5 000 RMB (OR = 1.82, 95%CI: 1.08 to 3.05). Individuals with self-rated "good" health status had a lower literacy level than those with "relatively poor or poor" health status (OR = 0.33, 95%CI: 0.16 to 0.68). Individuals with higher educational levels or poorer self-rated health had higher literacy across all dimensions. Those with higher household monthly income per capita showed significantly higher literacy in the dimension of basic TCM concepts (P < 0.05). The female and individuals aged > 50 years had relatively higher literacy in the healthy lifestyle dimension (both P < 0.05).

Conclusions The TCM health literacy among office workers needs improvement. The stratified intervention strategies should be developed based on differences in education, economic status, and self-rated health to promote TCM health education and workplace well-being.