Functional Health Literacy and Doctor-Patient Communication: Experiences of HIV/AIDS Patients in Homa Bay County, Kenya

Dennis Butto,Julius Bosire,Hellen Mberia

doi:10.4236/jbm.2020.812005

Abstract

Patient involvement in the health care process has been documented as a critical component of successful disease management. However, inadequate functional health literacy among patients is a well-known barrier to effective doctor-patient communication, which has an adverse effect on health outcomes. This study aimed at investigating the association of functional health literacy and doctor-patient communication among HIV/AIDS patients in Homa Bay County, Kenya. It was a cross-sectional hospital-based survey conducted among 362 HIV/AIDS patients receiving care at the eight sub-county hospitals of Homa Bay county. Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis tests were used to ascertain the reliability and validity of study instruments, while Logistic regression logistic analysis was used to measure the association between functional health literacy and doctor-patient communication. 51% of the respondents were females, and the majority (30.9%) of respondents fell in the age group of 45 years and above. The respondents’ functional health literacy levels were inadequate at weighted means scores of 3.23 [SD 1.31]. The study further established that functional health literacy significantly influenced doctor-patient communication [Nagelkerke R square = 0.318]. There is, therefore, a need to document the determinants of functional health literacy to improve it and make doctor-patient interaction an enjoyable and meaningful experience.

Highlights

Literacy is acquired through the process of learning to read and write
This study aimed at investigating the association of functional health literacy and doctor-patient communication among HIV/AIDS patients in Homa Bay County, Kenya
Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis tests were used to ascertain the reliability and validity of study instruments, while Logistic regression logistic analysis was used to measure the association between functional health literacy and doctor-patient communication. 51% of the respondents were females, and the majority (30.9%) of respondents fell in the age group of 45 years and above

Summary

Introduction

Again, functional literacy is characterized by the reading and writing abilities and information that empower a person to be involved in the specific activities of the area that requires this contribution [1] Applying this idea to the field of health, functional health literacy can be depicted as the cognitive capacity to comprehend, interpret and apply written or oral health information so that someone with a great literacy level would have a better health condition than one with a limited literacy level, who would be less cognizant of the significance of preventive practices, for instance, or problems in understanding guidelines on medication [2]. Previous studies show that in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Canada, from twenty to fifty percent of the population have low functional health literacy, which can negatively affect an individual’s health status [4] [5] [6]

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