Taeho Greg Rhee1, Hee Yun Lee2, Nam Keol Kim3, Gyounghae Han4, Jeonghwa Lee5, Kyoungwoo Kim6. 1. PhD candidate, Department of Pharmaceutical Care and Health System, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA. 2. Professor, School of Social Work, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA. 3. Admissions Officer, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Korea, and PhD student, Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA. 4. Professor, College of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. 5. Associate Professor, Department of Family Environment and Welfare, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea. 6. Physician, Department of Family Medicine, Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether health literacy is associated with depressive symptoms among Korean adults, when adjusting for relevant risk factors for depression. METHODS: Data were collected from a sample of 585 community-dwelling Korean adults living in Seoul and Kwangju, South Korea, using a quota sampling strategy. A cross-sectional, multivariate regression analysis was used to investigate the association between health literacy and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: When controlled for covariates, a lower level of health literacy was significantly associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Health literacy may play an important role in preventing and treating depression. Future research is needed to determine if improving health literacy, through health promotion interventions, can enhance community-dwelling Korean adults' understanding of depressive symptoms and relevant treatment options.
OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether health literacy is associated with depressive symptoms among Korean adults, when adjusting for relevant risk factors for depression. METHODS: Data were collected from a sample of 585 community-dwelling Korean adults living in Seoul and Kwangju, South Korea, using a quota sampling strategy. A cross-sectional, multivariate regression analysis was used to investigate the association between health literacy and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: When controlled for covariates, a lower level of health literacy was significantly associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Health literacy may play an important role in preventing and treating depression. Future research is needed to determine if improving health literacy, through health promotion interventions, can enhance community-dwelling Korean adults' understanding of depressive symptoms and relevant treatment options.
Authors: Yaqin Zhong; Elizabeth Schroeder; Yuexia Gao; Xiaojun Guo; Yuanyuan Gu Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-01-13 Impact factor: 3.390