The Influence of Health Literacy, Media Exposure, and Community Support on Preventive Health Behavior: The Mediating Role of Risk Perception

Abstract

Preventive health behavior remains a cornerstone of public health strategy, particularly in the face of recurring communicable diseases and health emergencies. This study explores the influence of health literacy, media exposure, and community support on individuals’ engagement in preventive health behaviors, with risk perception examined as a mediating factor. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 400 adult participants across urban and semi-urban regions, utilizing standardized instruments to assess levels of health literacy, frequency of media exposure to public health messages, perceived community support, and actual engagement in preventive actions such as vaccination, regular screenings, and hand hygiene. The proposed relationships were tested with the help of structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings indicated that there were important positive relationships between all the three independent variables and preventive health behavior, and that risk perception partially mediated these relationships. Patients with a high health literacy level and higher media exposure had increased perceptions of personal health risk and this increased the tendency to engage in prevention. Community support had a positive direct positive impact on engagement, which was enhanced by increasing risk awareness. The findings highlight the importance of combined strategies in the public health system that both inform and develop the feeling of vulnerability in order to improve behavior.