Vijaya Arun Kumar1, Nancy M Albert, Patrick Medado, Lynn Marie Mango, Benjamin Nutter, Dongsheng Yang, Phillip Levy. 1. From the *Department of Emergency Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI; †Nursing Research and Innovation, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH; ‡Detroit Medical Centre, Detroit, MI; and §Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To study the relationship between health literacy (HL) and socioeconomic, demographic factors and disease-specific illness beliefs among patients who present to the emergency department with heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND: Maintenance of well-being for patients with HF is partially dependent on appropriate self-care behaviors, which, in turn, are influenced by underlying illness beliefs. HL is a potential modifier of the interaction between behaviors and beliefs. There have been limited investigations studying this relationship among individuals with acute HF. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of patients with hemodynamically stable acute HF was conducted. Demographic, education, and social support data were obtained from all patients along with self-reported responses to the 36-item STOFHLA survey, a 14 item HF-specific illness belief questionnaire, and a 5-item self-care adherence survey. General association was assessed using the χ or Fisher exact test, and comparisons were made using the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients (51 females and 49 males) were included, 94% of whom were African-American (mean age [SD]: 57.5 [13.2] years). Inadequate, marginal, and adequate health literacy were present in 35%, 17%, and 48%, respectively, with increasing adequacy among the higher educated (P < 0.001). Overall, HF illness beliefs were considered to be "inaccurate" (mean score [SD] on a 4-point Likert scale: 2.8 [0.3]) but did correlate positively with improved HL (r = 0.26; P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: In this cohort of relatively young, predominantly African-American patients with acute HF, HL was positively correlated with level of education and negatively associated with age and was an important determinant of disease-specific illness beliefs.
OBJECTIVES: To study the relationship between health literacy (HL) and socioeconomic, demographic factors and disease-specific illness beliefs among patients who present to the emergency department with heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND: Maintenance of well-being for patients with HF is partially dependent on appropriate self-care behaviors, which, in turn, are influenced by underlying illness beliefs. HL is a potential modifier of the interaction between behaviors and beliefs. There have been limited investigations studying this relationship among individuals with acute HF. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of patients with hemodynamically stable acute HF was conducted. Demographic, education, and social support data were obtained from all patients along with self-reported responses to the 36-item STOFHLA survey, a 14 item HF-specific illness belief questionnaire, and a 5-item self-care adherence survey. General association was assessed using the χ or Fisher exact test, and comparisons were made using the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients (51 females and 49 males) were included, 94% of whom were African-American (mean age [SD]: 57.5 [13.2] years). Inadequate, marginal, and adequate health literacy were present in 35%, 17%, and 48%, respectively, with increasing adequacy among the higher educated (P < 0.001). Overall, HF illness beliefs were considered to be "inaccurate" (mean score [SD] on a 4-point Likert scale: 2.8 [0.3]) but did correlate positively with improved HL (r = 0.26; P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: In this cohort of relatively young, predominantly African-American patients with acute HF, HL was positively correlated with level of education and negatively associated with age and was an important determinant of disease-specific illness beliefs.
Authors: Frances J Drummond; Mary Reidy; Christian von Wagner; Vicki Livingstone; Jonathan Drennan; Mike Murphy; Colin Fowler; Mohamad M Saab; Mairin O'Mahony; Josephine Hegarty Journal: Health Lit Res Pract Date: 2019-07-19
Authors: Ruhee Shah; Alessandra Della Porta; Sherman Leung; Margaret Samuels-Kalow; Elizabeth M Schoenfeld; Lynne D Richardson; Michelle P Lin Journal: West J Emerg Med Date: 2021-10-27