The relationship between CPAP and health literacy: Aprospective observational study.

Abstract

We aimed to assess differences in health literacy between those who improved CPAP non-adherent and those who remained non-adherent. We included patients newly diagnosed with sleep apnea syndrome who had started CPAP therapy between February 2019 and October 2020 with ≥6 follow-up months or who self-interrupted CPAP therapy <6months. We recorded the CPAP wearing time after 3 and 6months. Patients were divided into the CPAP adherent (using CPAP for ≥4h per night) and non-adherent (self-interrupted CPAP therapy/using CPAP for <4h per night) groups. We compared the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire 47 (HLS-EU-Q47) score between those who were CPAP non-adherent after 3months and become CPAP adherent after 6months, and those who remained non-adherent after 6months. At 3months, 34 patients were CPAP non-adherent. After 6months, there were 7 and 27 patients in the CPAP adherent and non-adherent groups, respectively. There was a significant difference in the HLS-EU-Q47 score between the patients who became adherent to CPAP and who remained non-adherent after 6months. Previously non-adherent patients who subsequently became adherent tended to have higher health literacy.