Abstract
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.
Highlights
Health literacy (HL) is perceived as one of the most important concepts for modern health promotion activities to be successful
28.3% lived in rural areas, 32.7% resided in urban areas with a population at least 100,000. 56.4% of the survey group declared an education level below upper secondary and 38.5% possessed a university bachelor’s or master’s degree
The HL categories established on the basis of the score originating from the response to the 16-item version of the HLS-EU questionnaire are relatively insensitive to options assumed by sociodemographic variables
Summary
Health literacy (HL) is perceived as one of the most important concepts for modern health promotion activities to be successful. A comprehensive review of the existing HL definitions and models was carried as part of the European Health Literacy Project (HLS-EU) [3]. Apart from a detailed literature search, the researchers from the project developed an integrated model of health literacy encompassing access, understanding, appraisal, and application of health-related information in three domains; health promotion, disease prevention, and health care [3]. 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).
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