Health literacy and health among the elderly: status and challenges in the context of the Polish population aging process

Abstract

Introduction: Poland is a country which is characterized by the process of population aging resulting in a dynamic growth of the old-age dependency ratio. Thus, along with the aging process, we can expect, both at the individual and at the societal level, the intensification of the problems related to coping with worsening health and social dependency of the growing number of the elderly. One of the most necessary action contributing to the prevention of the above-mentioned threats is the development of health literacy. Study aim: The aim of the study is to describe and analyze, in the context of the process of aging, the status, the structure and the role of health literacy among the elderly in Poland. Material and methods: The analyzed data come from the Polish part of the European Health Literacy population-based, cross-sectional survey (HLS-EU). Field work was carried out by the TNS OBOP Research Institute in July 2011. Data were collected in Polish by a standardized questionnaire, using a Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI). Results and conclusions: Almost every second person in the Polish adult population aged 15+ (44,6%) had low health literacy(inadequate + problematic). First of all the oldest people aged 65+ were at risk of low health literacy. 61,3% of Poles aged 65+ had low levels of general health literacy and only 12% of excellent, in contrast to people aged 50 years and below where these percentages were 39.9% and 21.5% respectively. In the context of this unsatisfactory level of health literacy, particularly in the elderly and the intensifying process of aging in the Polish population, health literacy development should occupy a very high position on the political agenda.

Relationship between self-care behaviors and health literacy among elderly women in Iran, 2015

“…In their study, most of the elderly had inadequate health literacy ( 2 ). In the study of Slonska et al, more than half of older people in Poland had low health literacy ( 27 ), and in the study of Smith et al, about half of the elderly had borderline and inadequate health literacy ( 28 ), which is consistent with the findings of the present study. In this study, age, education, and health information seeking were directly correlated with health literacy.…”

The Level of Health Literacy of Seniors Living in Eastern Region of Poland. Preliminary Study

“…This is a significantly lower HL than in people under 65 years of age. Research conducted by Słońska et al [ 32 ] indicated that in the group of people over 65 years of age, the percentage of people with insufficient HL was the highest when comparing with younger respondents, and it exceeded 60%. Similarly, in another study that evaluated health literacy according to demographic characteristics of Americans aged 16 and over, the oldest group of adults (65 and over) had the lowest HL levels [ 26 ].…”

“…The HLS-EU survey was conducted in eight European countries in 2011 [ 18 , 37 ]. Consent for the use of the Polish version of the questionnaire was given by the Polish coordinator of HLS-EU, Zofia Słońska [ 32 ].…”

“…Health literacy is well explored in many different populations around the world, including the elderly population. However, in many studies, the elderly constituted only part of the studied group, e.g., in the Polish national research by Słońska et al [ 32 ] and Duplaga [ 33 ]. Therefore, our intention in this current study was to focus only on seniors’ health literacy level, collecting data in face-to-face interviews after cognitive pre-screening of every respondent.…”

Socioeconomic and sex differences in health care utilisation, counselling on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, and CVD risk factors control in the Polish population. The WOBASZ II Study

“…Higher health competences can lead to better use of the health care system, and the ability to search, understand, evaluate, and apply information. It was also found that health competences were positively associated with self-rated health status [9,10]. The relationship between health competences and the frequency of doctor visits is still unclear, and the question of the quality of health care provided for patients with different SES in Poland remains open.…”