Health literacy in elderly people: A quantitative research example from the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey
Abstract
Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the health literacy status of people
aged 65 and over in Turkey. Methods: This study is descriptive and cross-sectional.
The population consisted of people aged 65 and over living in the centre of a province.
2017 data from the Turkish Statistical Institute were used for the sample size.
Following the calculations, sampling was taken from 486 people. Data were collected
between January and May 2018. Ethical permission was obtained prior to the study.
Participants were selected according to the improbable method among those who
came to primary health institutions. A survey form was used as a data collection tool.
The first part of the form determined the socio-demographic characteristics of the
participants. TSOY-32 was used in the second section. A score 0 indicated the lowest
HL and the score 50 indicated the highest HL in the scale. Results: The average score
of the study participants in the ‘Turkey Health Literacy-32’ test was 24.40 ± 7.70. In
this study, score means were high among people with regular health checks, those
who did not use unprescribed medication, those who quit smoking, who exercised
regularly and who had adequate nutrition. Conclusion: Health literacy of individuals
aged 65 and over was found to be inadequate.
Keywords
Elderly, health literacy, quantitative research
Supporting Institution
Giresun University Scientific Research Project Unit (GRU: SAĞ-BAP-160317-77) has financed this research.
Project Number
SAĞ-BAP-160317-77
Thanks
The authors would like to thank all the parents who participated in the study
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