Urban - Township Divide in Mental Health Literacy Among Clinic Attendees: Moving Beyond Geographical Barriers to Achieve Equitable Access to Mental Health Literacy
1
Mathematics and Statistics, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa
2
Statistical Sciences, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Ga-Rankuwa, South Africa
3
Tshwane Mental Health District Services, Department of Health, Pretoria, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Despite the growing awareness of mental health disorders globally, mental health literacy remains low in many communities in South Africa, particularly in township settings. This study investigates the sociodemographic and geographic influences on mental health literacy among community health clinic attendees.
METHODS:
This study used secondary data which adopted a cross-sectional study design and was conducted between November 2019 and January 2020. A total of 385 participants were recruited through convenience sampling, with approximately 77 individuals per clinic across five sites. The participants’ responses regarding disorder recognition and perceived causes were analyzed via Pearson’s chi-square tests, using three fictive cases with clinical pictures indicative of mental depressive disorder, schizophrenia and general anxiety disorder the following were assessed: 1) what type of illness do you think the persons are suffering from, and 2) what do you think causes the persons’ suffering? To identify predictors of recognition and perceived causes, hierarchical logistic regression was performed. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. All analyses were conducted via STATA version 18.1 (StataCorp, Texas, USA).
RESULTS:
The mean age of the study participants was 37.39±11.14 years (range: 13–80). Factors such as geographic location, gender and level of education were significant predictors of recognition. Participants attending urban clinics were more likely to correctly identify correct mental disorders than those attending township clinics were [OR: 0.32; 95% CI: (0.11, 0.93); Wald χ^2 (1): 4.3681; p value: 0.036]. For correct causes, significant predictors included gender, education level, and geographic location. Urban clinic attendees were significantly more accurate at identifying the correct cause of mental disorders than township attendees [OR: 0.42; 95% CI: (0.21, 0.83); Wald χ^2 (1):6.1504; p value: 0.013].
CONCLUSIONS:
Addressing mental health literacy disparities requires strengthening township clinic capacity through stakeholder collaboration, integrating culturally relevant health education, and promoting gender-sensitive community outreach.
Despite the growing awareness of mental health disorders globally, mental health literacy remains low in many communities in South Africa, particularly in township settings. This study investigates the sociodemographic and geographic influences on mental health literacy among community health clinic attendees.
METHODS:
This study used secondary data which adopted a cross-sectional study design and was conducted between November 2019 and January 2020. A total of 385 participants were recruited through convenience sampling, with approximately 77 individuals per clinic across five sites. The participants’ responses regarding disorder recognition and perceived causes were analyzed via Pearson’s chi-square tests, using three fictive cases with clinical pictures indicative of mental depressive disorder, schizophrenia and general anxiety disorder the following were assessed: 1) what type of illness do you think the persons are suffering from, and 2) what do you think causes the persons’ suffering? To identify predictors of recognition and perceived causes, hierarchical logistic regression was performed. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. All analyses were conducted via STATA version 18.1 (StataCorp, Texas, USA).
RESULTS:
The mean age of the study participants was 37.39±11.14 years (range: 13–80). Factors such as geographic location, gender and level of education were significant predictors of recognition. Participants attending urban clinics were more likely to correctly identify correct mental disorders than those attending township clinics were [OR: 0.32; 95% CI: (0.11, 0.93); Wald χ^2 (1): 4.3681; p value: 0.036]. For correct causes, significant predictors included gender, education level, and geographic location. Urban clinic attendees were significantly more accurate at identifying the correct cause of mental disorders than township attendees [OR: 0.42; 95% CI: (0.21, 0.83); Wald χ^2 (1):6.1504; p value: 0.013].
CONCLUSIONS:
Addressing mental health literacy disparities requires strengthening township clinic capacity through stakeholder collaboration, integrating culturally relevant health education, and promoting gender-sensitive community outreach.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
