Measuring health literacy combining performance-based and self-assessed measures: the roles of age, educational level and financial resources in predicting health literacy skills. A cross-sectional study conducted in Florence (Italy). Issue 10 (5th October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lorini, Chiara; Lastrucci, Vieri; Paolini, Diana; Bonaccorsi, Guglielmo
• Other Names: author non-byline.; Alti Elisabetta author non-byline.; Baglioni Sergio author non-byline.; Bellino Leonardo author non-byline.; Berzi Niccolò author non-byline.; Bianchi Jacopo author non-byline.; Bonaccorsi Guglielmo author non-byline.; Burgio Giuseppe author non-byline.; Bussotti Alessandro author non-byline.; Riccio Marco Del author non-byline.; Galdiero Angela author non-byline.; Grassi Alessandro author non-byline.; Grassi Tommaso author non-byline.; Lastrucci Vieri author non-byline.; Lombardi Arrigo author non-byline.; ChiaraLorini Sarah Mantwill author non-byline.; Manzi Federico author non-byline.; Mereu Alessandro author non-byline.; Messina Donatella author non-byline.; Milani Chiara author non-byline.; DianaPaolini Marco Targonato author non-byline.; Toccafondi Marco author non-byline.; Sartor Gino author non-byline.; Vettori Virginia author non-byline.; Donzellini Martina author non-byline.
• Is Part Of: BMJ open. Volume 10:Issue 10(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-10-05
• Subjects: public health -- preventive medicine -- statistics & research methods; Medicine -- Research -- Periodicals; 610.72
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035987
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2044-6055

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: The objective was to compare the results of performance-based and self-assessed measures of health literacy (HL) and to evaluate the contribution of their joint use in assessing some HL antecedents. Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Setting: The study was conducted on the general population in Florence (Italy). Participants: This study is part of a larger one, where participants were randomly selected from the registries of 11 general practitioners working in the municipality of Florence. Inclusion criteria were the following: 18–69 years of age and Italian speaking. Exclusion criteria included cognitive impairment, severe psychiatric disease or end-stage disease. In this paper, 212 adults were included. Outcome measures: HL was measured using the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16) and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS). The HL levels obtained by means of the two measurement tools were combined into a new variable that described three different levels of HL skills: low HL skills, partial HL skills and high HL skills. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the predictive roles of age class, educational level and financial resources with respect to HL skills. Results: Twenty-two per cent of the sample had high HL skills, 28.3% had low HL skills and 49.5% had partial HL skills. Educational level, age class and financial resources were significantly associated with HL skills, with OR values being higher than those obtained using the NVS or the HLS-EU-Q16 individually. Conclusion: The combination of the results obtained using the NVS and the HLS-EU-Q16 improves the understanding of HL. The new variable generated by this combination could be considered as a different way to assess HL and its multidimensional contents.