Health literacy in old age: results of a German cross-sectional study

Health literacy is especially important for older people to maintain or enhance remaining health resources and self-management skills. The aim of the study was to determine the level of health literacy and the association between health literacy, demographic and socio-economic factors in German olde...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health promotion international 2018-10, Vol.33 (5), p.739-747
Main Authors: Vogt, Dominique, Schaeffer, Doris, Messer, Melanie, Berens, Eva-Maria, Hurrelmann, Klaus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Germany
Health Literacy
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Socioeconomic Factors
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Health literacy is especially important for older people to maintain or enhance remaining health resources and self-management skills. The aim of the study was to determine the level of health literacy and the association between health literacy, demographic and socio-economic factors in German older adults aged 65 years and above stratified by age group. Health literacy was assessed via computer-assisted personal interviews using HLS-EU-Q47 on a representative sample of the German-speaking population. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses and logistic regression modelling stratified by age group were conducted to assess health literacy of 475 respondents aged 65 years and above. Overall, 66.3% of all respondents aged 65 years and above had limited health literacy. Limited health literacy was especially prevalent among respondents above 76 years of age (80.6%). Limited health literacy was associated with financial deprivation (OR: 3.05; 95% CI: 1.99–4.67) and limited functional health literacy (OR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.29–3.61). Financial deprivation was strongest predictor for limited health literacy in the total sample and stratified by age group. Limited health literacy is a frequent phenomenon in German adults aged 65 years and above. Research on health literacy in old age and the role in health disparities is urgently needed.
ISSN:0957-4824
1460-2245
DOI:10.1093/heapro/dax012