Multidimensional health literacy profiles and health-related behaviors in the elderly: A cross-sectional survey.
Ying Xie, Wenhong An, Chunyuan Zheng and 2 others
PMID 35509695WHAT IT FOUND
In Changsha, 24.6% of older adults had low and 39.5% moderate health literacy, especially appraising information and navigating services.
Low literacy was associated with irregular exercise, fewer check-ups, and repeated care-seeking.
Key findings
01The 440 older adults were classified into three health literacy profiles: low (108, 24.6%), moderate (174, 39.5%), and high (158, 35.9%).
02Higher health literacy profile odds were associated with age 60-74 versus 75 and older (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.23-3.42), urban versus rural residence (OR 3.28, 95% CI 2.17-4.94), completed secondary education (OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.92-4.27), and health insurance (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.02-3.51).
03Health literacy profiles were associated with timing of care-seeking, regular exercise, and medical examination in the past 12 months; recurrent care-seeking clustered with low literacy, while regular exercise and recent medical examination clustered with high literacy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was convenience-based: 488 people were recruited from two health centers in Changsha, and 440 valid questionnaires were analysed, so it may not represent older adults elsewhere. People who could not communicate effectively or cooperate were excluded, and the authors suggest they may have had lower health literacy. The survey was cross-sectional, so associations cannot show that low health literacy caused any behavior. The questionnaire has no critical value for poor health literacy, so the profiles describe relative groups rather than a clinical cut-off.
Declared interests
The Hunan Key Laboratory Platform for Nursing funded the study and assisted with questionnaire collection and language editing. The authors declared no competing financial or personal interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that low health literacy caused irregular exercise, fewer check-ups, or repeated care-seeking, or that health education will improve these behaviors. This was a cross-sectional survey of 440 older adults in two Changsha health centers, so it shows associations only and did not test an intervention.