Objective  To evaluate the situation of health information literacy and its influencing factors among service industry employees in Beijing and to provide evidences for carrying out targeted health education and health promotion intervention.

  Methods  In July – August 2016, we conducted a self-administered questionnaire survey among 2 040 service industry employees applying health certificates at Beijing Municipal Center for Diseases Prevention and Control. χ² test and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of health information literacy.

  Results  Among the 1 670 respondents with valid information, 23.5% were assessed with basic health information literacy and the average overall score of health literacy was 6.97 ± 1.36. Of the valid respondents, 85.7% answered the question correctly for how to judge whether a medical institution being legal and only 16.9% could correctly answer the question for the knowledge on indications of amoxicillin capsules. The proportion of female respondents with healthy information literacy (26.2%) was significantly higher than that of male respondents (20.1%) (P = 0.004). The proportion of respondents with basic health information literacy was decreased with the increment of age (P < 0.001). Education and the degree of convenient access to internet were also related to the level of health information literacy (both P < 0.05). The respondents′ household registration place and occupation had no effect on the health information literacy (P > 0.05). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that education was positively related to health information literacy significantly (P < 0.05). Compared with the respondents having no access to internet, those could access to internet easily showed higher basic health information literacy level (odds ratio OR = 5.354, 95% confidence interval 95% CI: 1.264 – 22.686).

  Conclusion  Health information literacy is at a low level among the service industry employees in Beijing. Problem- and people group-specific interventions should be promoted to increase health information literacy of the occupational population.