The health literacy level among residents in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province stood at 38.31 percent in 2022, 3.12 percentage points higher than that of the previous year, according to a survey conducted by the Taizhou Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The survey result means that 38 out of every 100 people in the city are health literate.

Health literacy refers to the ability of individuals to access and understand basic health information and services and use them to make correct decisions to maintain and improve their health. It is also widely considered an important measure of a place's economic and social development level.

Women are generally more health literate than men, according to the survey. The health literacy level of males in Taizhou was 38.27 percent, while that of females stood at 38.35 percent.

People aged between 25 and 34 have the highest health literacy level (61.13 percent), followed by the 15-24 age group (56.24 percent), and the 65-69 age group (7.38 percent).

The health literacy level is positively correlated with the education level. The health literacy level of the illiterate stood at 3.93 percent, while that for the holders of a college/bachelor's degree or above was 71.31 percent.

About 20.12 percent of the surveyed were smokers, an increase of 0.86 percentage points from a year earlier. Most of them were workers and farmers who are aged between 35 and 39 and have ceased education after graduating from junior high school.