Relationship between Health Literacy, Health-Related Behaviors and Health Status: A Survey of Elderly Chinese
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Sample and Setting
2.2. Instruments
2.2.1. Chinese Citizen Health Literacy Questionnaire
2.2.2. Scale of the General Status
2.3. Measures
2.3.1. Health Literacy
2.3.2. Health-Related Behaviors
Health Behavior
Health Information Access
2.3.3. Health Status
2.4. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. The Relationship between Elderly Health Literacy Levels and Sociodemographic Characteristics
| Sociodemographic Characteristics | Percentage (%) | Health literacy score () | F/t Value | p Value |
| Age (years) | 6.457 | 0.000 | ||
| <65 | 102 (7.31) | 74.13 ± 27.10 | ||
| 65~74 | 311 (22.28) | 76.21 ± 28.71 | ||
| 75~84 | 724 (51.86) | 71.53 ± 27.97 | ||
| ≥85 | 259 (18.55) | 65.99 ± 28.58 | ||
| Gender | 3.522 | 0.000 | ||
| Male | 619 (44.34) | 74.72 ± 28.80 | ||
| Female | 777 (55.66) | 69.36 ± 27.78 | ||
| Race | 4.125 | 0.000 | ||
| Han | 1315 (94.20) | 72.51 ± 27.81 | ||
| Minority | 81 (5.80) | 59.20 ± 33.77 | ||
| Education level | 67.907 | 0.000 | ||
| Primary school or below | 859 (61.53) | 64.05 ± 24.67 | ||
| Junior high school | 220 (15.76) | 79.24 ± 28.91 | ||
| Senior high school and technical secondary school | 193 (13.83) | 84.98 ± 26.95 | ||
| Graduate and above | 124 (8.88) | 91.04 ±32.93 | ||
| Household income (Yuan/month) | 9.982 | 0.000 | ||
| < 500 | 62 (4.44) | 57.52 ± 27.53 | ||
| 500~1000 | 76 (5.44) | 66.11 ± 26.44 | ||
| 1000~2000 | 474 (33.95) | 68.54 ± 28.73 | ||
| 2000~5000 | 640 (45.85) | 74.74 ± 27.22 | ||
| ≥ 5000 | 144 (10.32) | 78.04 ± 29.85 | ||
| Family size (Person) | 0.647 | 0.524 | ||
| 1~2 | 266 (19.05) | 73.49 ± 31.47 | ||
| 3~5 | 717 (51.36) | 71.45 ± 27.49 | ||
| ≥6 | 413 (29.58) | 71.10 ± 27.73 | ||
| Marriage status | 6.904 | 0.000 | ||
| Unmarried | 38 (2.72) | 71.50 ± 28.88 | ||
| Married | 327 (23.42) | 76.73 ± 29.22 | ||
| Widowed | 985 (70.56) | 69.65 ± 27.82 | ||
| Divorced | 46 (3.30) | 81.07 ± 27.64 | ||
| Former Occupation | 32.609 | 0.000 | ||
| Manager | 218 (15.62) | 86.30 ± 31.71 | ||
| Ordinary staff | 121 (8.67) | 67.97 ± 29.63 | ||
| Professionals | 237 (16.98) | 80.86 ± 26.03 | ||
| Service industry employee | 101 (7.23) | 66.97 ± 30.62 | ||
| Production staff | 231 (16.55) | 73.44 ± 28.08 | ||
| Farmers | 488 (34.96) | 61.92 ± 22.43 |
3.2. The Relationships of the Health Literacy Score with Health-Related Behaviors and Health Status
| Variables | N | Mean ± SD | F/t Value | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Available health information | 9.988 | 0.001 | ||
| Insufficient | 1066 (76.36) | 67.66 ± 26.73 | ||
| Sufficient | 330 (23.64) | 84.90 ± 29.45 | ||
| Number of sources | 31.92 | 0.001 | ||
| 0 | 195 (13.97) | 60.58 ± 25.70 | ||
| 1 | 451 (32.31) | 65.67 ± 28.12 | ||
| 2 | 501 (35.89) | 73.49 ± 24.85 | ||
| 3 | 192 (13.75) | 86.33 ± 28.83 | ||
| ≥4 | 57 (4.08) | 98.68 ± 30.95 | ||
| Smoking | −4.622 | 0.001 | ||
| Nonsmoker | 1072 (76.79) | 78.07 ± 29.21 | ||
| Smoker | 324 (23.21) | 69.82 ± 27.82 | ||
| Drinking | −4.328 | 0.001 | ||
| Not daily | 1175 (84.17) | 79.26 ± 32.35 | ||
| Daily | 221 (15.83) | 70.32 ± 27.32 | ||
| Physical exercise | −7.154 | 0.001 | ||
| Not weekly | 500 (35.82) | 64.60 ± 26.19 | ||
| Weekly | 896 (64.18) | 75.72 ± 28.74 | ||
| Health examination | 6.428 | 0.001 | ||
| Not Annually | 361 (25.86) | 63.60 ± 26.78 | ||
| Annually | 1035 (74.14) | 74.58 ± 28.35 | ||
| BMI categories | 0.727 | 0.536 | ||
| <18.5 | 146 (10.46) | 69.60 ± 28.65 | ||
| 18.5~24.0 | 572 (40.97) | 73.06 ± 26.48 | ||
| 24.0~28.0 | 474 (33.95) | 75.64 ± 29.51 | ||
| ≥28.0 | 204 (14.62) | 73.75 ± 27.38 | ||
| Health status | 5.726 | 0.003 | ||
| Good | 545 (39.04) | 74.86 ± 29.08 | ||
| Moderate | 580 (41.55) | 70.20 ± 28.24 | ||
| Poor | 271 (19.41) | 68.73 ± 26.59 |
3.3. Multivariable Analysis of Correlates of Health Literacy with Sociodemographic Characteristics, Health-Related Behaviors, and Health Status
| Variables | Partial Regression Coefficient | SE | Standardized Partial Regression Coefficient | t | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X4 | Education level | 6.717 | 0.786 | 0.239 | 8.550 | 0.001 |
| X 12 | Physical exercise | 9.288 | 1.411 | 0.158 | 6.583 | 0.001 |
| X 13 | Health examination | 6.999 | 1.512 | 0.109 | 4.628 | 0.001 |
| X 8–1 | Manager | 12.970 | 2.216 | 0.168 | 5.852 | 0.001 |
| X 10 | Smoking | −6.544 | 2.074 | −0.098 | −3.155 | 0.002 |
| X 3 | Race | −16.472 | 3.024 | −0.134 | −5.448 | 0.001 |
| X 9 | health information | 7.824 | 1.690 | 0.118 | 4.628 | 0.001 |
| X 8–3 | Professionals | 8.583 | 2.096 | 0.114 | 4.095 | 0.001 |
| X 8–5 | Production stuff | 6.416 | 2.029 | 0.085 | 3.162 | 0.002 |
| X 1 | Age | −0.256 | 0.084 | −0.077 | −3.070 | 0.002 |
| X 5 | Household income | 2.351 | 0.761 | 0.076 | 3.088 | 0.002 |
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
- National Bureau of Statistics of China. Statistical Communiqué of the People’s Republic of China on the 2014 National Economic and Social Development; Chinese Statistics Press: Beijing, China, 2015.
- United Nations. World Population Prospects; UN: New York, NY, USA, 2001. [Google Scholar]
- Beijing Review. China Faces the Challenge of an Aging Society. Available online: http://www.china.org.cn/english/2001/Jul/16124.htm (accessed on 13 August 2015).
- Wilkins, S.T.; Navarro, F.H. Has the web really empowered health care consumers? Mark. Health Serv. 2001, 21, 4–9. [Google Scholar]
- Macias, W.; McMillan, S. The return of the house call: The role of Internet-based interactivity in bringing health information home to older adults. Health Commun. 2008, 23, 34–44. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Flynn, K.E.; Smith, M.A.; Freese, J. When do older adults turn to the Internet for health information? Findings from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. J. Gen. Intern. Med. 2006, 21, 1295–1301. [Google Scholar] [PubMed]
- Satcher, D. Healthy People 2010. In Understanding and Improving Health: Understanding and Improving Health, 2nd ed.; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Washington, DC, USA, 2000. [Google Scholar]
- Nutbeam, D. The evolving concept of health literacy. Soc. Sci. Med. 2008, 67, 2072–2078. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Sørensen, K.; Van den Broucke, S.; Fullam, J.; Doyle, G.; Pelikan, J.; Slonska, Z.; Brand, H.; Health Literacy. Health literacy and public health: A systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health 2012, 12. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Xiao, L.; Ma, Y.; Li, Y.; Hu, J.; Cheng, Y.L.; Chen, G.Y.; Tao, M.X. Study on the health literacy status and its influencing factors of urban and rural residents in China. Chin. J. Health Educ. 2009, 25, 323–326. [Google Scholar]
- Ishikawa, H.; Nomura, K.; Sato, M.; Yano, E. Developing a measure of communicative and critical health literacy: A pilot study of Japanese office workers. Health Promot. Int. 2008, 23, 269–274. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Parikh, N.S.; Fahs, M.C.; Shelley, D.; Yerneni, R. Health behaviors of older Chinese adults living in New York City. J. Community Health 2009, 34, 6–15. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Davis, M.A.; Nehaus, J.M.; Moritz, D.J.; Lein, D.; Barclay, J.D.; Murphy, S.P. Health behaviors and survival among middle-aged and older men and women in the NHANES I Epidemiological Follow-up Study. Prev. Med. 1994, 23, 369–376. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Li, Z.M; Sun, Z. Research on the Status of Health Literacy among Residents in Hunan Province and Its Influencing Factors. Ph.D. Thesis, Central South University, Hunan, China, April 2010. [Google Scholar]
- Suka, M.; Odajima, T.; Okamoto, M.; Sumitanid, M.; Igarashie, A.; Ishikawaf, H.; Kusamag, M.; Yamamotoh, M.; Nakayamai, T.; Sugimorij, H. Relationship between health literacy, health information access, health behavior, and health status in Japanese people. Patient Educ. Couns. 2015, 98, 660–668. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Takahashi, Y.; Ohura, T.; Ishizaki, T.; Okamoto, S.; Miki, K.; Naito, M.; Akamatsu, R.; Sugimori, H.; Yoshiike, N.; Miyaki, K.; et al. Internet use for health-related information via personal computers and cell phones in Japan: a cross-sectional population-based survey. J. Med. Internet Res. 2011, 13. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Sakai, Y.; Kunimoto, C.; Kurata, K. Health information seekers in Japan: a snapshot of needs, behavior, and recognition in 2008. J. Med. Libr. Assoc. 2012, 100, 205–213. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ishikawa, Y.; Nishiuchi, H.; Hayashi, H.; Viswanath, K. Socioeconomic status and health communication inequalities in Japan: a nationwide cross-sectional survey. PLoS ONE 2012, 7. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Koch-Weser, S.; Bradshaw, Y.S.; Gualtieri, L.; Gallagher, S.S. The Internet as a health information source: findings from the 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey and implications for health communication. J. Health Commun 2007, 15 (Supplement 3), 279–293. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Zhao, L.; Sun, Z. Research on the Status of Health Literacy among Middle-Aged and Elderly Residents in Hunan Province and Its Influencing Factors. Master’s Thesis, Central South University, Hunan, China, May 2011. [Google Scholar]
- Paasche-Orlow, M.K.; Parker, R.M.; Gazmararian, J.A.; Nielsen-Bohlman, L.T.; Rudd, R.R. The prevalence of limited health literacy. J. Gen. Intern. Med. 2005, 20, 175–184. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Von Wagner, C.; Knight, K.; Steptoe, A.; Wardle, J. Functional health literacy and health-promoting behavior in a national sample of British adults. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2007, 61, 1086–1090. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Sentell, T.; Braun, K.L. Low health literacy, limited English proficiency, and health status in Asians, Latinos, and other racial/ethnic groups in California. J. Health Commun. 2012, 17 (Supplement 3), 82–99. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Van der Heide, I.; Wang, J.; Droomers, M.; Spreeuwenberg, P.; Rademakers, J.; Uiters, E. The relationship between health, education, and health literacy: Results from the Dutch Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. J. Health. Commun. 2013, 18 (Supplement 1), 172–184. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Taggart, J.; Williams, A.; Dennis, S.; Newall, A.; Shortus, T.; Zwar, N.; Denney-Wilson, E.; Harris, M.F. A systematic review of interventions in primary care to improve health literacy for chronic disease behavioral risk factors. BMC Fam. Pract. 2012, 13. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Lee, S.Y.D.; Tsai, T.I.; Tsai, Y.W.; Kuo, K.N. Health literacy, health status, and healthcare utilization of Taiwanese adults: Results from a national survey. BMC Public Health 2010, 10. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Liu, Y.-B.; Liu, L.; Li, Y.-F.; Chen, Y.-L. Relationship between Health Literacy, Health-Related Behaviors and Health Status: A Survey of Elderly Chinese. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12, 9714-9725. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120809714
Liu Y-B, Liu L, Li Y-F, Chen Y-L. Relationship between Health Literacy, Health-Related Behaviors and Health Status: A Survey of Elderly Chinese. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2015; 12(8):9714-9725. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120809714
Chicago/Turabian StyleLiu, Yong-Bing, Liu Liu, Yan-Fei Li, and Yan-Li Chen. 2015. "Relationship between Health Literacy, Health-Related Behaviors and Health Status: A Survey of Elderly Chinese" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 12, no. 8: 9714-9725. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120809714
APA StyleLiu, Y.-B., Liu, L., Li, Y.-F., & Chen, Y.-L. (2015). Relationship between Health Literacy, Health-Related Behaviors and Health Status: A Survey of Elderly Chinese. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(8), 9714-9725. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120809714
