Evaluation of Health Literacy and Depression Literacy Among Korean Americans

Abstract

Low health literacy is closely related to a higher rate of hospitalization and of emergency services usage, leading to billions of dollars in avoidable health care costs and contributing to individuals’ poor physical and mental health. While Korean Americans (KAs) have a high prevalence of general health and mental health problems, relatively little is known about their health and mental health literacy, specifically their depression literacy. This study aims to evaluate KAs’ health literacy and depression literacy, as related to sociodemographic characteristics. An exploratory study was conducted with 681 community-residing adult KAs using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale, the Depression Literacy Questionnaire (D-Lit), and the One-Question Health Literacy Scale. Data analyses were performed using one-way analysis of variance and ordinal logistic regression of health literacy, a multiple linear regression model of depression literacy. Findings indicate a positive correlation between depression literacy and health literacy. Health literacy was also significantly related to religion, English language proficiency, income, education, and perceived physical health. Additionally, depression literacy was significantly related to age, Korean language preference over English, and education. Health literacy and depression literacy education are warranted to address low health literacy and depression literacy among KAs to reduce their health and mental health disparities.

Health Literacy in Korean Adults and Korean American Immigrants: Implications for Achieving Health Equity

“…As demonstrated by several previous studies, 16,17,23 educational level is an imperative factor influencing health literacy among Korean immigrants residing in the U.S. for all age groups, potentially due to its possible relationship with English proficiency, which research have found direct influence on health literacy. 9,20,24 However, the present study found that, for Korean citizens, educational level was only found to significantly influence health literacy among those aged 65 and older. One possibility for this difference in findings could be how aging and generational differences uniquely influence the understanding of and accessibility to health services in Korean citizens aged 65 and older.…”

“…16,17,23 Some have considered education as an enabling factor because of its relationship with English proficiency and social economic status, both of which facilitate the acquisition of health literacy. 9,20,24 However, it is more commonly considered as a predisposing factor because it does not fluctuate and pertains to the fixed social status that a person has already obtained. The enabling factors examined in the present study included whether the individual had private health insurance coverage, a designated place for medical care, a doctor in charge, and the frequency of doctor visits.…”

“…Similar to other factors, these enabling factors were chosen due to previous research indicating their significant effects on health literacy. 7,16 The need factors that research has suggested as significant were self-rated health status 9,16,22 and the number of chronic diseases the participant reported having. 25,26…”

“…Research has found that, within immigrant groups, English proficiency, educational level, and cultural competence were all significant predictors of health literacy levels. 9 The difficulties immigrants can experience in finding appropriate health care resources could potentially increase their risk for poor health outcomes. [10][11][12] In addition to geographical and cultural factors, age also appears to be an important factor affecting health literacy levels.…”

Health Literacy Among Older Smartphone Users Attending Outpatients Clinics at a Teaching Hospital in Middle-income Developing Nation

“…Another study revealed that HL level was found to rise with increasing education levels for both the tools and income, only for the HLQ tool [29]. Bernstein et al, proposed that education had a major impact on health literacy as senior citizens with a lower level of education are more likely to have a limited HL [21,30].…”