High health literacy is associated with less obesity and lower Framingham risk score: Sub-study of the VGH-HEALTHCARE trial

Abstract

BackgroundsLower health literacy (HL) is associated with several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome (MS). The aim of our study was to investigate the association between HL and the Framingham 10-year risk score of CVD.MethodsFrom 2015–2016, 1010 subjects aged 23 to 88 years receiving health check-up in Taipei Veterans General Hospital had complete clinical evaluations and laboratory examinations. Fatty liver was diagnosed by ultrasonography. The short form questionnaire adapted from the Mandarin Health Literacy Scale was used to assess HL. The Framingham risk score was calculated by patient characteristics.ResultsSubjects with higher BMIs were associated with lower HL scores. The proportion of subjects with MS was higher in the lower health literacy score group (≤ 9) at 28.8%; further analysis found that lower HL was significantly associated with MS in women but not in men. The Spearman’s rho demonstrated that the HL score was significantly associated with the BMI-based (rho = -0.11; P < 0.001) or lipid-based (rho = -0.09; P < 0.004) Framingham risk score.ConclusionsHigher HL scores were associated with less CVD risk such as lower BMIs, less MS in women, and less fatty liver disease. Furthermore, HL had an inverse association with the Framingham risk score as expected. Therefore, HL in patients with CVD risk should be improved and considered as an important issue in terms of CVD reduction.

The Role of Health Literacy in Postpartum Weight, Diet, and Physical Activity

“…Decreased health literacy is associated with similar health outcomes as diet-related chronic disease, such as higher hospitalization rates, poorer overall health status, and higher mortality rates [ 9 ]. Health literacy has also been associated with obesity [ 10 ], poorer dietary intake [ 11 ], and reduced physical activity [ 12 ], and it may have a mediating role in the relationship between chronic conditions and health outcomes through health behaviors. Health literacy is context-dependent [ 13 ], with individual levels increasing or decreasing according to life changes such as the onset of illness or entering a new life phase [ 8 ].…”

Low health literacy

“…The authors also found that poor functional health literacy was associated with the presence of multiple comorbid conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia, consistent with multiple reports on the association between health literacy and these conditions. 15,30,31 Interestingly, 87% of Hispanic participants in the study had a diagnosis of hypertension, showing the significant relationship between health literacy and chronic conditions; high prevalence of hypertension is associated with lower health literacy. 29,31…”

“…15,30,31 Interestingly, 87% of Hispanic participants in the study had a diagnosis of hypertension, showing the significant relationship between health literacy and chronic conditions; high prevalence of hypertension is associated with lower health literacy. 29,31…”

Health Literacy and Blood Glucose Level in Transitional Albania

“…Evidence of significant and inverse associations between health literacy and fasting plasma glucose is provided by another recent paper reporting on the associations of HL with an array of laboratory parameters among individuals aged 23-88 years receiving health checkup in Taipei, Taiwan (25).…”