Pauline Katharina Mantell1,2, Annika Baumeister1,2, Hildegard Christ3, Stephan Ruhrmann4, Christiane Woopen1,2. 1. Research Unit Ethics, Institute for the History of Medicine and Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. 2. Cologne Center for Ethics, Rights, Economics, and Social Sciences of Health (CERES), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. 3. Institute of Medical Statistics and Computational Biology (IMSB), University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. 4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Health literacy (HL) is considered a key concept to positively address relevant decisions concerning physical and mental health. According to an integrated model of a European Consortium, the process to access, understand, appraise and apply health information is at the centre of practising HL. AIM: In this study, we examine HL in a population with an early onset of a mental disorder (MD). METHODS: Results are based on a cross-sectional survey among people with MD (n = 310) who sought help at an early detection centre for MD in Cologne, Dresden or Munich. Help-seekers filled out the European Health Literacy Survey questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q) on perception-based HL, socio-demographic data and general health status. Psychopathology was assessed separately by trained specialists. Data are compared with a representative sample of the German population. RESULTS: Overall, HL was lower in a sample with MD compared with the general population. Disease-specific limitations were present in accessing, appraising and applying health information, whereas understanding was perceived fairly easy. Statistical analysis of limited HL revealed correlations with the diagnosis of affective disorders and anxiety disorders, an increase of depressive symptoms as well as the presence of more than one MD. In line with these findings, low levels of HL were associated with a worse general health status. CONCLUSION: In a population with MD, accessing, appraising and applying health information seemed to be particularly challenging. Therefore, educational programmes that mainly focus on increasing knowledge might not be sufficient for improving the HL in people with MD. Further research should concentrate on context-specific HL to foster behavioural change and improve overall health.
BACKGROUND: Health literacy (HL) is considered a key concept to positively address relevant decisions concerning physical and mental health. According to an integrated model of a European Consortium, the process to access, understand, appraise and apply health information is at the centre of practising HL. AIM: In this study, we examine HL in a population with an early onset of a mental disorder (MD). METHODS: Results are based on a cross-sectional survey among people with MD (n = 310) who sought help at an early detection centre for MD in Cologne, Dresden or Munich. Help-seekers filled out the European Health Literacy Survey questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q) on perception-based HL, socio-demographic data and general health status. Psychopathology was assessed separately by trained specialists. Data are compared with a representative sample of the German population. RESULTS: Overall, HL was lower in a sample with MD compared with the general population. Disease-specific limitations were present in accessing, appraising and applying health information, whereas understanding was perceived fairly easy. Statistical analysis of limited HL revealed correlations with the diagnosis of affective disorders and anxiety disorders, an increase of depressive symptoms as well as the presence of more than one MD. In line with these findings, low levels of HL were associated with a worse general health status. CONCLUSION: In a population with MD, accessing, appraising and applying health information seemed to be particularly challenging. Therefore, educational programmes that mainly focus on increasing knowledge might not be sufficient for improving the HL in people with MD. Further research should concentrate on context-specific HL to foster behavioural change and improve overall health.
Entities:
Keywords:
Health literacy; health information processing; help-seekers; mental disorders
Authors: Pauline Katharina Mantell; Annika Baumeister; Stephan Ruhrmann; Anna Janhsen; Christiane Woopen Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-01-25 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Wanderson Carneiro Moreira; Anderson Reis de Sousa; Rachel da Silva Serejo Cardoso; Aline Macêdo de Queiroz; Marcia Aparecida Ferreira de Oliveira; Carlos Alberto da Cruz Sequeira Journal: Rev Lat Am Enfermagem Date: 2022-07-15