Health Literacy And Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients With Cardiovascular Disease in Tagus Valley Regional Health Hospital, Portugal: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Purpose The aims of this study were to examine the association between health literacy (HL) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to investigate the possible determinants of both variables among patients with cardiovascular diseases in Tagus Valley Regional Health Hospital, Portugal.Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 28 patients with CVD. A convenient sampling technique was used to enrol the study participants. Data were collected using a validated Portuguese version of Short Assessment of Health Literacy (SAHPLA-23) and a validated Portuguese version of Short Form Health Survey (SF-36v2). The multiple linear regression was used to investigate the possible associated variables and the association between HL and HRQoL by using SPSS version 25.Results The results showed the majority of patients with CVD had inadequate HL (89.3%). The majority of the participants had poor HRQoL with Physical Component Score (PCS) scored lower (38.77±9.9) than the Mental Component Score (MCS) (44.13±9.9). Educational level was found to be associated with HL. Level of education, employment status, family history of CVD and history of readmission because of CVD were the variables found to be associated with the PCS. However, no variable was found to be associated with the MCS of QoL. HL was shown to be the best predictor of the PCS (β=0.518, p=0.002) while the history of readmission because of CVD was identified as the second-best predictor of the PCS (β=-0.373, p=0.022). Conclusions Health literacy was significantly associated with the PCS of HRQoL.