Health literacy and quality of life among people in semi-urban and urban areas.
Celalettin Cevik, İbrahim Kayabek
PMID 35420625WHAT IT FOUND
Inadequate health literacy affected 23.5% of 595 Turkish adults, more often in semi-urban areas.
Physical quality-of-life scores were lower there, while mental scores were similar. Check understanding in older, low-income, low-education, chronic-disease groups.
Key findings
01Inadequate health literacy was found in 23.5% of all participants, 29.4% in semi-urban areas and 18.1% in urban areas.
02Participants in semi-urban areas had lower health literacy and physical quality-of-life scores than urban participants; mental quality-of-life scores were similar.
03Factors associated with health literacy scores differed by area and included education, income, age, marital status, chronic disease, perceived health, reading habits and understanding health information.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional survey, so it can show associations but cannot prove that health literacy causes lower quality of life or that education will improve outcomes. The sample came from two neighbourhoods in one province in Turkey, so results may not apply to other regions, cultures, healthcare systems or patient groups. Health literacy and quality of life were measured with questionnaires and one yes/no item about understanding information; this may not capture how people actually use health information in care. The study used p < 0.20 to select variables for multivariate analysis, which can increase the chance of finding associations. It does not report how many people refused or were missed during household sampling, so the final sample may not represent all contacted households.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest declaration appears in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower semi-urban scores as proof that health literacy caused lower quality of life. The study measured both at one time point and did not test an intervention.