Health Literacy of Individuals Undergoing Dialysis Therapy

Abstract

Objective: to assess the functional levels of health literacy in individuals undergoing dialysis. Method: a cross-sectional study with 42 patients of the Nephrology Unit of a public hospital in Recife, Brazil, from May to August 2016. Data were collected through scripted interviews and chart analysis. Functional health literacy was measured using the Brazilian version of the Short-Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS ® ) software, version 18.0, with a univariate analysis to verify the association between independent variables and functional health literacy levels using Fisher's exact test. Results: 80.9% of the patients presented inadequate health literacy and 19.1% presented adequate health literacy. The number of correct answers remained between 0-18 in the reading comprehension and in the scheduling appointment card. Among the independent variables, only marital status (p-value=0.018) and personal income (p-value=0.009) were factors associated with the worst scores in the test, indicating that these variables influence the increase in inadequate literacy. Conclusion: the prevalence of inadequate functional literacy was high, reflecting difficulties in understanding and processing health information, which may interfere with therapeutic management and self-care.Objetivo: analisar os níveis de letramento funcional em saúde dos indivíduos em tratamento dialítico. Método: estudo transversal com 42 pacientes assistidos na Unidade de Nefrologia de um hospital da rede pública em Recife, Brasil, no período de maio a agosto de 2016. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista com roteiro estruturado e análise de prontuário. O letramento funcional em saúde foi mensurado pela versão brasileira do questionário Brief Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. A análise dos dados foi por meio do software estatístico Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS ® ) versão 18.0, com análise univariada para verificar associação entre as variáveis independentes com os níveis de letramento funcional em saúde através do teste Exato de Fisher. Resultados: constatou-se que 80,9% dos pacientes apresentaram letramento em saúde inadequado e 19,1% adequado. O número de acertos se manteve entre 0-18 na compreensão de leitura e no cartão de aprazamento das consultas. Dentre as variáveis independentes, apenas estado civil (p-valor=0,018) e renda pessoal (p-valor=0,009) apresentaram-se como fatores associados aos piores escores no teste, indicando que essas variáveis influenciam no aumento do letramento inadequado. Conclusão: a prevalência de letramento funcional inadequado foi alta, refletindo as dificuldades de compreensão e processamento de informações em saúde, podendo interferir no manejo terapêutico e no autocuidado. DESCRITORES:Alfabetização em saúde. Doença renal. Diálise. Conhecimento. Autocuidado.

Low health literacy and quality of life in patients with systemic arterial hypertension

“…A positive correlation was observed between the health literacy level and the respondents' education in both evaluated questionnaires. These results corroborate with the data presented in other studies [ 33 , 34 ]. It is worth noting that other studies also show that not always a high education level guarantees that the patient will master the necessary skills to be considered as health literate [ 35 ].…”

“…It is also important to note that health literacy is associated with other important independent variables that were not listed in the study such as race [ 43 ], marital status [ 44 ], health insurance and dominant dialect [ 45 ]. The quality of life of patients with hypertension is also associated with several other variables not listed in the study, especially achieving controlled blood pressure, absence of target organ complications, and absence of drug [ 46 ].…”

Patient participation in care safety: Primary Health Care professionals’ perception

“…It is important to highlight that health professionals need to know the level of literacy of their patients, in order to facilitate the exchange of information (19) . Several studies link low or inadequate health literacy to difficulties in understanding and processing health information, reflecting low knowledge for managing the state of the disease and worse health outcomes (19)(20) .…”

Letramento Em Saúde a Idosos: Uma Abordagem Da Comunicação Na Atenção Básica Em Saúde

“…13 Levantamentos realizados pelo Indicador de Alfabetismo Funcional, instrumento que trata da avaliação do letramento no Brasil de forma geral, revelaram que, dentre os brasileiros na faixa etária de 15 a 64 anos, 27% foram classificados como analfabetos funcionais. [14][15] Neste estudo, foi observado que um elevado percentual de pessoas com…”