Beyond Age: Exploring Health Literacy, Well-Being, and Stress Management Among the Elderly.
Joana Ferreira, Tânia Gaspar
PMID 42187118WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with higher traditional and digital health literacy reported better stress management and well-being.
Stress management was linked to the relationship between health literacy and well-being. This single-time survey does not prove that improving literacy causes better well-being.
Key findings
01The 579 older adults reported adequate traditional health literacy but low digital health literacy.
02Higher traditional and digital health literacy were associated with better stress management and well-being.
03Stress management was linked to the relationship between health literacy and well-being, and between digital health literacy and well-being.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used self-report questionnaires, so answers may be influenced by what participants thought was expected. Participants were recruited by convenience, mostly from the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and the Azores, so the sample may not represent all older adults. The study measured everything at one time, so it cannot show that health literacy causes better stress management or well-being. People with dementia or conditions that could compromise understanding were excluded, so it says little about older adults with significant cognitive impairment. The mediation models are statistical interpretations and do not prove that improving stress management will improve well-being.
Declared interests
The authors reported no financial support and no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that teaching older adults health literacy or digital literacy will improve their well-being. This survey found associations among 579 older adults at one time, not proof that changing literacy changes outcomes.