Health literacy in a population-based sample of adult men and women in a South Eastern European country

Toçi, Ervin; Burazeri, Genc; Myftiu, Sokol; Sørensen, Kristine; Brand, Helmut

doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdv006

Cited by 42 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…General health literacy scores (mean = 35.5) are consistent across eight European countries, including across their subpopulations aged 25 years and younger (mean health literacy score = 35.10). Health literacy among the young adults in our study was most similar to that in Ireland [ 5 ]; lower than in Netherlands, Poland [ 5 ], and Albania [ 29 ]; and higher than in Germany, Austria, Bulgaria [ 5 ], and Japan [ 8 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 48%

“…The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q), recently developed by the European Health Literacy Survey Consortium (HLS-EU) [ 1 , 5 ], is based on an integrated health literacy model of competencies in the processes of accessing, understanding, appraising, and applying health-related information within three domains: healthcare, disease prevention, and health promotion [ 2 ]. The questionnaire approaches health literacy as a multidimensional construct and has been adapted for use in different European [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 28 , 29 ] and non-European [ 7 , 8 ] countries. Although there have been attempts to develop health literacy assessment tools for young adults specifically, they remain in the pilot stage [ 30 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is Health Education at University Associated with Students’ Health Literacy? Evidence from Cross-Sectional Study Applying HLS-EU-Q

Šukys

Česnaitienė

Ossowsky

2017

BioMed Research International

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Background Despite the large number of studies assessing health literacy, little research has been conducted with young adults. Since health literacy is related to the setting in which health information is provided, our study aim was to measure health literacy competencies in a sample of university students and to evaluate the relationships between these competencies and their university health education. Methods A total of 912 university students (aged 18–24 years) completed the 47-item European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47). Results Perceived difficulties with health information were related to gender, with male students reporting significantly lower health literacy scores. Studying more health education-related subjects was associated with a higher health literacy competency, due to these students' higher rates of accessing and understanding health information in the health promotion domain. Conclusion Health literacy among young adult university students is insufficient. The subjects they study are related to their university health education; in particular, the number of health-related subjects they study is positively related to students' health promotion domain-based competencies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 48%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Health Education at University Associated with Students’ Health Literacy? Evidence from Cross-Sectional Study Applying HLS-EU-Q

Šukys

Česnaitienė

Ossowsky

2017

BioMed Research International

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“…Therefore, an HLHO is designed to help build a person-centered, evidence-based, and quality-driven healthcare system [20]. Despite this, current healthcare systems are nowadays designed on the assumption that their users have adequate HL levels [21].…”

Section: Communicates Clearly What Health Plans Cover and What Indivimentioning

confidence: 99%

Health-Literate Healthcare Organizations and Quality of Care in Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in Tuscany

Bonaccorsi

Romiti

Ierardi³

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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The concept of Health-Literate Healthcare Organization (HLHO) concerns the strategies by which healthcare organizations make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health. The aims of this study were to validate the HLHO-10 questionnaire in the Italian language; to measure the degree of implementation of the 10 attributes of HLHOs in a sample of hospitals placed in Tuscany; and to assess the association between the degree of implementation of the 10 attributes of HLHOs and the perceived quality of care. This was a cross-sectional study where data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire including three sections: a descriptive section, a section focused on the perceived quality, and the Italian version of the HLHO-10 questionnaire. A total amount of 405 healthcare managers answered the questionnaire (54.9%). The analysis shows that the HLHO score is significantly associated with the type of hospitals: accredited private hospitals have higher HLHO scores. Moreover, the perceived quality increases with the increasing of the HLHO score, with the highest coefficient for local public hospitals. In conclusion, Organizational Health Literacy culture should be an integral element for the management to improve the quality of care.

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“…The available evidence from population studies shows that health literacy may depend on sex, age, level of education, economic and/or social status, and the type of vocational activities. In the research carried out to date, it has been demonstrated that lower HL is displayed by men rather than by women [4][5][6][7], by people having lower levels of educational attainment than by those with higher levels [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], by single people than by married people [7,13], by people with lower social status than by those with a higher status [8,11,14], by people of lower rather than those of higher economic status or income [4,[7][8][9]13,15,16] and, finally, by people living in more challenging conditions [6,8]. In most studies, there was also a general trend for HL decreasing with age [4,6,8,9,15].The efforts undertaken in the last decade resulted in a comprehensive assessment of the consequences of limited health literacy.…”

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confidence: 99%

Determinants and Consequences of Limited Health Literacy in Polish Society

Duplaga

2020

IJERPH

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Background: Health literacy (HL) is perceived as one of the most important concepts for modern health promotion activities to be successful. The research undertaken in the context of HL usually focuses on its antecedents and consequences, either for specific groups of patients or society or for the whole population. Objectives: The main aim of this study was to assess the antecedents and consequences of limited health literacy (HL) in a nationally representative sample of the Polish population. Methods: The analysis was carried out on the data obtained from a sample of 1000 Polish citizens through a telephone-based survey undertaken using a short, 16-item questionnaire developed within the European Health Literacy Project (HLS-EU). The total HLS score was calculated according to the guidelines published by the HLS-EU project. Chi2 test and logistic regression models were used for the analysis of the relationships between the variables. Results: The mean HL score (standard deviation) in the study sample was 12.99 (3.11). HL was related to age, marital and vocational status. Limited HL was associated with a lower self-assessment of health (OR, 95% CI: 2.52, 1.54-4.13), the prevalence of obesity and disability (1.71, 1.13-2.57, and 1.92, 1.25-2.94, respectively), less frequent physical activity (0.70, 0.49-0.99), a lower consumption of fruits and vegetables (0.47, 0.34-0.65), and with more frequent hospitalisations (2.02, 1.38-2.95). Conclusions: The assessment of HL using the16-item HLS-EU questionnaire may be a useful tool to enable health behaviours and utilisation of health care resources by society to be predicted.The research undertaken in the context of HL usually focuses on its antecedents and consequences, either for specific groups of patients or citizens or for the whole population. The available evidence from population studies shows that health literacy may depend on sex, age, level of education, economic and/or social status, and the type of vocational activities. In the research carried out to date, it has been demonstrated that lower HL is displayed by men rather than by women [4][5][6][7], by people having lower levels of educational attainment than by those with higher levels [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], by single people than by married people [7,13], by people with lower social status than by those with a higher status [8,11,14], by people of lower rather than those of higher economic status or income [4,[7][8][9]13,15,16] and, finally, by people living in more challenging conditions [6,8]. In most studies, there was also a general trend for HL decreasing with age [4,6,8,9,15].The efforts undertaken in the last decade resulted in a comprehensive assessment of the consequences of limited health literacy. In 2011, the updated version of the systematic review authored by Berkman et al. [16] was published. This stated that low HL might be associated with more frequent hospital admissions and the use of emergency care; lower participation in screening programmes, e.g., mammography; lower receipt of ...

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Health literacy in a population-based sample of adult men and women in a South Eastern European country

Abstract: Sociodemographic correlates of HL among Albanian adults showed similar trends with those observed in other former communist countries of Europe. Current findings may help policymakers tailor accordingly future interventions and programs to improve health status of Albanian citizens.

Cited by 42 publications

References 23 publications

Is Health Education at University Associated with Students’ Health Literacy? Evidence from Cross-Sectional Study Applying HLS-EU-Q

Is Health Education at University Associated with Students’ Health Literacy? Evidence from Cross-Sectional Study Applying HLS-EU-Q

Health-Literate Healthcare Organizations and Quality of Care in Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in Tuscany

Determinants and Consequences of Limited Health Literacy in Polish Society

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