| Title |
Health literacy in a population-based sample of Australian women: a cross-sectional profile of the Geelong Osteoporosis Study
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
BMC Public Health, July 2018
|
| DOI | 10.1186/s12889-018-5751-8 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Sarah M. Hosking, Sharon L. Brennan-Olsen, Alison Beauchamp, Rachelle Buchbinder, Lana J. Williams, Julie A. Pasco |
| Abstract |
The term health literacy refers to the abilities and resources required to find, understand and use health information in managing health. This definition is reflected in the recent development of multidimensional health literacy tools that measure multiple facets of health literacy. The aim of this study was to determine the health literacy profile of a randomly selected, population-based sample of Australian women using a multidimensional tool, the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). A second aim was to investigate associations between independent HLQ scales, sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle and anthropometric risk factors for chronic disease. We surveyed women involved in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study (GOS), a longitudinal, population-based study. We included demographic data, lifestyle information and anthropometric measures as well as the HLQ. The HLQ has 44 items, scored on either 4- or 5-point scales, within nine conceptually distinct scales. Means for each scale were calculated, and HLQ scales were regressed on educational level and socioeconomic status. Risk factors for chronic disease were investigated using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and calculation of effect sizes. Higher mean scores were seen for the scales 'Feeling understood and supported by healthcare professionals' (mean 3.20, ± SD 0.52) and 'Understanding health information well enough to know what to do' (mean 4.28, ±SD 0.54), and lower mean scores were seen for 'Appraisal of health information' (mean 2.81, ±SD 0.48) and 'Navigating the healthcare system' (mean 4.09, ± SD 0.57). Associations were also seen between lower HLQ scores and poor health behaviours including smoking and being more sedentary, in addition to greater body mass index and waist circumference. Positive gradients were seen between several HLQ scales and education level, as well as SES. For some HLQ scales, these associations were non-linear. The profile of this population-based cohort of women demonstrated associations between low health literacy and low SES, lower levels of education, increasing age, and anthropometric and lifestyle risk factors for chronic disease. These findings suggest implications of health literacy for health policy makers focusing on improving lifestyle prevention of chronic disease and promoting health equity at a population level. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 23 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 4 | 17% |
| United States | 2 | 9% |
| Ethiopia | 1 | 4% |
| Austria | 1 | 4% |
| Brunei Darussalam | 1 | 4% |
| Canada | 1 | 4% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 4% |
| Unknown | 12 | 52% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 17 | 74% |
| Scientists | 4 | 17% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 4% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 4% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 95 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 95 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 16 | 17% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 13 | 14% |
| Student > Bachelor | 12 | 13% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 6 | 6% |
| Researcher | 6 | 6% |
| Other | 13 | 14% |
| Unknown | 29 | 31% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing and Health Professions | 24 | 25% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 15 | 16% |
| Social Sciences | 10 | 11% |
| Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 2 | 2% |
| Engineering | 2 | 2% |
| Other | 6 | 6% |
| Unknown | 36 | 38% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 15. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 28 July 2018.
All research outputs
#2,278,444
of 24,145,400 outputs
Outputs from BMC Public Health
#2,579
of 15,891 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#46,742
of 330,912 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Public Health
#82
of 336 outputs
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