TY - JOUR
T1 - Determinants of Health Literacy and Its Associations With Health-Related Behaviors, Depression Among the Older People With and Without Suspected COVID-19 Symptoms
T2 - A Multi-Institutional Study
AU - Do, Binh N.
AU - Nguyen, Phung Anh
AU - Pham, Khue M.
AU - Nguyen, Hoang C.
AU - Nguyen, Minh H.
AU - Tran, Cuong Q.
AU - Nguyen, Thao T.P.
AU - Tran, Tien V.
AU - Pham, Linh V.
AU - Tran, Khanh V.
AU - Duong, Trang T.
AU - Duong, Thai H.
AU - Nguyen, Kien T.
AU - Pham, Thu T.M.
AU - Hsu, Min Huei
AU - Duong, Tuyen Van
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by Military Hospital 103, and Taipei Medical University (108-6202-008-112; 108-3805-022-400).
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2020 Do, Nguyen, Pham, Nguyen, Nguyen, Tran, Nguyen, Tran, Pham, Tran, Duong, Duong, Nguyen, Pham, Hsu and Duong.
PY - 2020/11/16
Y1 - 2020/11/16
N2 - Purpose: We examined factors associated with health literacy among elders with and without suspected COVID-19 symptoms (S-COVID-19-S). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at outpatient departments of nine hospitals and health centers 14 February−2 March 2020. Self-administered questionnaires were used to assess patient characteristics, health literacy, clinical information, health-related behaviors, and depression. A sample of 928 participants aged 60–85 years were analyzed. Results: The proportion of people with S-COVID-19-S and depression were 48.3 and 13.4%, respectively. The determinants of health literacy in groups with and without S-COVID-19-S were age, gender, education, ability to pay for medication, and social status. In people with S-COVID-19-S, one-score increment of health literacy was associated with 8% higher healthy eating likelihood (odds ratio, OR, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 95%CI, 1.04, 1.13; p < 0.001), 4% higher physical activity likelihood (OR, 1.04; 95%CI, 1.01, 1.08, p = 0.023), and 9% lower depression likelihood (OR, 0.90; 95%CI, 0.87, 0.94; p < 0.001). These associations were not found in people without S-COVID-19-S. Conclusions: The older people with higher health literacy were less likely to have depression and had healthier behaviors in the group with S-COVD-19-S. Potential health literacy interventions are suggested to promote healthy behaviors and improve mental health outcomes to lessen the pandemic's damage in this age group.
AB - Purpose: We examined factors associated with health literacy among elders with and without suspected COVID-19 symptoms (S-COVID-19-S). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at outpatient departments of nine hospitals and health centers 14 February−2 March 2020. Self-administered questionnaires were used to assess patient characteristics, health literacy, clinical information, health-related behaviors, and depression. A sample of 928 participants aged 60–85 years were analyzed. Results: The proportion of people with S-COVID-19-S and depression were 48.3 and 13.4%, respectively. The determinants of health literacy in groups with and without S-COVID-19-S were age, gender, education, ability to pay for medication, and social status. In people with S-COVID-19-S, one-score increment of health literacy was associated with 8% higher healthy eating likelihood (odds ratio, OR, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 95%CI, 1.04, 1.13; p < 0.001), 4% higher physical activity likelihood (OR, 1.04; 95%CI, 1.01, 1.08, p = 0.023), and 9% lower depression likelihood (OR, 0.90; 95%CI, 0.87, 0.94; p < 0.001). These associations were not found in people without S-COVID-19-S. Conclusions: The older people with higher health literacy were less likely to have depression and had healthier behaviors in the group with S-COVD-19-S. Potential health literacy interventions are suggested to promote healthy behaviors and improve mental health outcomes to lessen the pandemic's damage in this age group.
KW - COVID-19
KW - depression
KW - health literacy
KW - health-related behaviors
KW - older people
KW - Vietnam
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U2 - 10.3389/fpubh.2020.581746
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2020.581746
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85096370815
SN - 2296-2565
VL - 8
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
JF - Frontiers in Public Health
M1 - 581746
ER -