Associated Factors with the Use of Health Services among Postmenopausal Women in Mashhad Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior: The Role of Health Literacy

Introduction: It can be expected that postmenopausal women are living longer than ever with the advances in medical science. Therefore, the health of women in the years after menopause is very important. The purpose of the present study was to determine the associated factors with the use of health services among postmenopausal women in Mashhad based on the theory of planned behavior and the role of health literacy. Instruments and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was carried out on 245 postmenopausal women aged 45-56 years old in Mashhad in 2018. The subjects were selected by random cluster sampling method. The research tools were a demographic questionnaire, health literacy of adult and native-based questionnaire based on the planned behavior theory, which was completed through the interview. Data were analyzed by SPSS 24 software, using Kruskal–Wallis test, linear regression method, Pearson correlation coefficient and one-way analysis of variance. Findings: Among the demographic features, the variables of income and level of education were effective in the health literacy of the postmenopausal women (p=0.001). The health literacy of the target group was inadequate so that the mean of this variable was 54.06±20.69 which is equivalent to the boundary level. The most effective structure that had the most predictive capability was the perceived behavioral control structure with the regression coefficient of 0.6 for the behavior structure and 0.11 for the behavioral intention structure. Conclusion: The health literacy of the postmenopausal women is in the undesirable level and the perceived behavioral control construct is the most effective factor in the intent and behavior of the postmenopausal women.