Abstract
Objective
to assess functional health literacy among hypertensive and diabetic elderly individuals enrolled in the Family Health Strategy.
Method
cross-sectional study conducted among 78 elderly individuals with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Systemic Arterial Hypertension, residing in a city in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data were collected using a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic and health information and the S-TOFHLA. Data analysis included Pearson’s Chi-square, Central Tendency Measures (mean and median), and measures of dispersion, α=5% and p≤0.05.
Results
inadequate functional health literacy was found among 55.1% (N=43) of the participants, while 30.8% (N=24) presented marginal literacy skills. Hypertension was the most frequent disease with duration of more than 10 years. The results show an association between schooling and inadequate functional health literacy (p<0.002).
Conclusion and implications for practice
inadequate health literacy among elderly individuals with chronic diseases who are often responsible for self-care may worsen this population’s health conditions and diseases. Thus, identifying literacy levels among these individuals is vital to devise strategies and implement actions intended to promote care.
Keywords:
Aging; Chronic Disease; Health of the Elderly; Information Literacy; Family Health Strategy