Determining of Health Literacy Level in Elderly: An Example of Eastern Turkey

Yıl 2021, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 1, 7 - 14, 30.04.2021

Hasret Yalçınöz Baysal Metin Yıldız

https://doi.org/10.19127/mbsjohs.784674

Cited By: 2

Öz

Objective: Knowing the health literacy levels of the elderly is important for better health care. The aim of this study was to determine health literacy level of the elderly.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2018 and November 2018. The study population comprised individuals aged over 65 years living in the eastern province, who applied to Family Health Centers for any reason between April 2018 and November 2018 and accepted to participate in the study (983 individuals). Personal information form and Health Literacy Scale were used to collect data Institutional and ethical approvals for the study were obtained. The number, percentage, mean, parametric and nonparametric tests and Pearson correlation test were used to evaluate the data.
Results: The mean Health Literacy Scale total score of the participants was 44.00 ± 9.10. A statistically significant difference was found between the mean Health Literacy Scale total score of participants and the marital status, social security, chronic disease status, type of chronic disease and regular drug use. A weak negative correlation was found between the mean Health Literacy Scale scores of the elderly and age.
Conclusion: As a result of our research, the health literacy level of the elderly is moderate and needs to be improved further. To increase the health literacy level of the elderly, local governments, health institutions and health workers should take the necessary measures.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Elderly, Health literacy, Health promotion, Turkey

Destekleyen Kurum

-

Proje Numarası

-

Teşekkür

-

Kaynakça

• 1. Berkman ND, Sheridan SL, Donahue KE, Halpern DJ, Crotty K. Low health literacy and health outcomes: an updated systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2011; 155(2): 97-107.
• 2. Geboers B, Winter AF, Spoorenberg SL, Wynia K, Reijneveld SA. The association between health literacy and self-management abilities in adults aged 75 and older, and its moderators. Qual Life Res. 2016; 25(11): 2869-77.
• 3. World Health Organization. Achieving health equity: From root causes to fair outcomes, 2007 (cited 2019 December 10). Available from: URL: https://www.who.int/social_determinants.pdf.
• 4. World Health Organization. Social determinants of health in countries in conflict a perspective from the Eastern Mediterranean Region. 2008 (cited 2019 December 10). Available from: URL: http://www.emro.who.int/dsaf/dsa955.pdf.
• 5. World Health Organization. Promoting health and development: closing the implementation gap. [cited 19 April 2019]. Available from: URL: https://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/meetings/7gchp/en/.
• 6. Bozkurt H, Demirci H. Health literacy among older persons in Turkey. Aging Male. 2019; 22(4): 272-7.
• 7. Lee HY, Rhee TG, Kim NK, Ahluwalia JS. Health literacy as a social determinant of health in Asian American immigrants: findings from a population-based survey in California. J Gen Intern Med. 2015; 30(8): 1118-24. 8. Von Wagner C, Knight K, Steptoe A, Wardle J. Functional health literacy and health-promoting behaviour in a national sample of British adults. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2007; 61(12): 1086-90.
• 9. Zanchetta MS, Perreault M, Kaszap M, Viens C. Patterns in information strategies used by older men to understand and deal with prostate cancer: An application of the modelisation qualitative research design. Int J Nurs Stud. 2007; 44(6): 961-72.
• 10. Baker DW, Gazmararian JA, Williams MV, Scott T, Parker RM, Green D, et al. Health literacy and use of outpatient physician services by Medicare managed care enrollees. J Gen Intern Med. 2004; 19(3): 215-20.
• 11. Suka M, Odajima T, Kasai M, Igarashi A, Ishikawa H, Kusama M, et al. The 14-item health literacy scale for Japanese adults (HLS-14). Environ Health Prev Med. 2013; 18(5): 407-15.
• 12. Turkoglu N, Kilic D. In reliability and validity study of the Turkish form of health literacy scale. 18. ISPOG Congress; May 12-14; Malaga-Spain: 2016.
• 13. Baker DW, Wolf MS, Feinglass J, Thompson JA. Health literacy, cognitive abilities, and mortality among elderly persons. J Gen Intern Med. 2008; 23(6): 723-6.
• 14. Ugurlu Z. Evaluation of the health literacy of the patients applying to health institutions and the suitability of the educational materials used for health literacy. Ankara: Baskent University Institute of Health Sciences. 2011.
• 15. Cimen Z, Temel AB. Investigation Of Health Literacy, Perception Of Health And Related Factors In Elderly Patients With Chronic Illness. Ege University Faculty of Health Sciences Journal. 2017; 33(3): 105-27.
• 16. Sørensen K, Van den Broucke S, Fullam J, Doyle G, Pelikan J, Slonska Z, et al. Health literacy and public health: a systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health. 2012; 12(1): 1-3.
• 17. 17. Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies. Turkey Demographic and Health Survey 2013. (cited 2019 December 10). Available from: URL: http://www.hips.hacettepe.edu.tr/tnsa2013/rapor/TNSA_2013_ana_rapor.pdf.
• 18. Paasche-Orlow MK, Wolf MS. The causal pathways linking health literacy to health outcomes. Am J Health Behav. 2007; 31(1): 19-26. 19. Nutbeam D. The evolving concept of health literacy. Soc Sci Med. 2008; 67(12): 2072-8.
• 20. Sykes S, Wills J, Rowlands G, Popple K. Understanding critical health literacy: a concept analysis. BMC Public Health. 2013; 13(1): 150.
• 21. Inoue M, Takahashi M, Kai I. Impact of communicative and critical health literacy on understanding of diabetes care and self-efficacy in diabetes management: a cross-sectional study of primary care in Japan. BMC Fam Pract. 2013; 14(1): 1-9.
• 22. Tang YH, Pang SM, Chan MF, Yeung GS, Yeung VT. Health literacy, complication awareness, and diabetic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. J Adv Nurs. 2008; 62(1): 74-83.
• 23. Shi D, Li J, Wang Y, Wang S, Liu K, Shi R, et al. Association between health literacy and hypertension management in a Chinese community: a retrospective cohort study. Intern Emerg Med. 2017; 12(6): 765-76.
• 24. Kobayashi LC, Wardle J, Wolf MS, von Wagner C. Cognitive function and health literacy decline in a cohort of aging English adults. J Gen Intern Med. 2015; 30(7): 958-64.
• 25. Morris NS, MacLean CD, Littenberg B. Change in health literacy over 2 years in older adults with diabetes. Diabetes Educ. 2013; 39(5): 638-46. 26. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Health, United States, with chartbook on trends in the health of Americans. (cited 2019 December 10). Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus07.pdf.