The relationship between sensory loss and health literacy in older adults: A systematic review.
Laura G Wallace, Christine K Bradway, Pamela Z Cacchione
PMID 35779376WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with hearing or vision loss were more likely to have low health literacy.
The studies cannot prove cause. When teaching, reduce noise, improve lighting, face the person, and confirm understanding.
Key findings
01Four of six vision-loss studies found a positive relationship between vision loss and low health literacy; one found it only in select health literacy domains; one found no relationship.
02All three hearing-loss studies found a positive relationship between hearing loss and low health literacy.
03No included study examined the relationship between dual sensory loss and health literacy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only nine studies met the inclusion criteria, so the evidence base is small. Most studies were cross-sectional and rated poor to fair quality, so they show association, not cause and effect. Vision loss and hearing loss were defined and measured differently across studies, including objective and self-report measures. The hearing-loss studies measured written health literacy rather than verbal communication, so they did not directly capture communication barriers from hearing loss. No included study examined dual sensory loss, so the review cannot address combined hearing and vision loss. Most studies also had other primary objectives and were not designed mainly to test sensory loss and health literacy. Some studies included adults with mean or median age over 50 rather than exclusively adults aged 65 years and older.
Declared interests
The supplied publication types include Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; no author conflict declaration or sponsor role is provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that sensory loss causes low health literacy or that treating hearing or vision loss will improve health literacy. The included studies were mostly cross-sectional and only show association, and the measures of sensory loss and health literacy varied widely.