Abstract
Purpose To verify the association between health literacy, social determinants and self-rated health in adult's primary health care patients. Methods this is an Observational cross-sectional study in which a total of 380 patients of the Unified Health System in the context of primary health care were interviewed. The sample was probabilistic, stratified by gender, age, and Basic Health Unit. Health literacy was evaluated by an instrument of analysis of the perception of adults about the understanding of health orientations and possible difficulties in this process (Health Literacy Scale). Descriptive and association analyses were performed (Pearson's chi-square test, p≤0.05). Results It was verified that the majority of the interviewees belongs to classes C1 and C2 and attended high school (complete or incomplete). Regarding self-rated health, to be considered healthy and with good health were the predominant perceptions. In the Health Literacy Scale, it was verified that most patients reported never presenting difficulties in the situations of this instrument, except understanding written orientations. It was observed the association with a statistical significance of the better perception of health literacy with higher educational level and economic classification, as well as with self-rated of good health. Conclusion There was a statistical association between health literacy, social determinants, and self-rated health in the analyzed adults. It is noteworthy the contribution of the Health Literacy Scale for emphasizing the perception of difficulties in everyday health situations. It is necessary to develop dialogic relationships that build more robust communication processes between professionals and healthcare patients to favor health literacy skills.
Highlights
METHODSNational and international literature has advanced the study of the abilities to access, understand, evaluate and apply guidelines for health care
Because of its cross-sectional design, this study does not allow establishing the causal relationships between the variables analyzed. In contrast to these limitations, it should be emphasized that the instrument used in this study evaluates literacy in health through the perception of the difficulty of individuals in everyday health situations
The analysis of the association between the classification of the Health Literacy Scale and health evaluation showed that patients with better perceptions of health literacy tend to have a better evaluation of their health
Summary
National and international literature has advanced the study of the abilities to access, understand, evaluate and apply guidelines for health care. This set of skills considered as health literacy represents an important resource for health promotion[1] and can be evaluated by several instruments[2,3]. It is important to consider the subjective nature involved in people’s perception of everyday health care difficulties This subjectivity highlights the relevance of the analysis of self-rated of health in epidemiological studies[7]. This type of assessment contributes to the understanding of health as a complex and multifactorial condition, which represents an integrated perception of the individual regarding the biological, psychological and social dimensions[8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
