Health literacy and its dimensions in elderly people in Farsan city, Iran
نویسندگان
1 Department of Health Education and Promotion, Health Faculty, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
2
3 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health Faculty, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
doi
چکیده
BACKGROUND: Health literacy is an important variable in the promotion and improvement of thehealth of all social groups, especially the elderly people. It indicates cognitive and social skills thatspecify the individuals’ motivation and ability to access and perceive information using methodsfor health retention and improvement. The present research aimed to study health literacy and itsrelevant dimensions in a population over 60 years of age in Farsan city.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross‑sectional study on 384 older people in Farsan city wasconducted, using a standard health literacy questionnaire including 33 items and 5 dimensions ona 5‑point Likert scale for collecting data. Data analysis was done using descriptive and analyticalstatistics, using the multiple linear regression analysis.RESULTS: Among the dimensions, the highest and lowest scores belonged to decision‑making andreading skill dimensions, respectively. The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that amongthe demographical variables, education level, age, sex, and job were the best predictors of totalscores of health literacy (P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS: The health‑related institutions should make effort to improve the elderly people’shealth literacy based on general literacy, using suitable methods with less need to read and payingattention to personal characteristics.
