scholarly journals Assessing Health Literacy of Elderly with Chronic Diseases during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Makassar City, Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Bahtiar Bahtiar ◽  
Wiwi Saputri ◽  
Rostika Salenda Paseleng ◽  
Muh Akbar ◽  
Restu Abady

The elderly are vulnerable to experience health problems and physical deterioration characterized by high rates of chronic diseases among the elderly. Health literacy ability becomes crucial for the elderly with chronic diseases to treat and maintain their health. This study was aimed to describe the literacy levels of the elderly with chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic in Makassar. The method of study was a descriptive survey with a cross-sectional study. The research population is elderly with chronic diseases in Makassar city, and the samples are 124 elderly with age ≥60 years old and suffering chronic diseases more than six months in two selected sub-district. The research was conducted a cross-sectional survey, and descriptive univariate data analysis was used. The instrument was used Indonesia's health literacy short-form survey questionnaire (HLS-EU-SQ10-IDN). The result of this study reveals that the health literacy levels vary: insufficient criteria by 33.99%, problematic criteria by 49.2%, sufficient criteria by 16.1%, and perfect criteria by 0.8%. The results prove that the health literacy level of the elderly with chronic diseases is insufficient. This study concluded that the dominant level of the health literacy of the elderly with chronic diseases is inadequate and problematic. Health education program to improve their literacy is necessarily improved during the COVID-19 outbreak

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongyan Liu ◽  
Chengbin Wu ◽  
Yu Zhao ◽  
Weiyun Lai ◽  
Yong Zhao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Improving health literacy is the key to chronic disease prevention and improved interventions. However, little is known about the status of health literacy and its influencing factors in patients with chronic diseases. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore the different aspects and factors influencing health literacy among patients with chronic diseases in Chongqing, China.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in areas of Chongqing using the 2018 National Questionnaire on Health Literacy of Residents administered to 27,336 patients with chronic diseases. The research investigated the prevalence and factors of health literacy in patients with chronic diseases in Chongqing, China using χ 2 tests and logistic regression analysis.Results: Among the participants (n = 27,336), 51.3% were males and 48.7% were females. Only a small number of patients with chronic diseases were health literate (21.6%). Regression analyses indicated that inadequate health literacy was associated with rural area residents (OR: 0.92), minorities (OR: 1.31), farmers (OR: 1.18), nonlocal registered permanent residents (OR: 1.05), and patients with self-rated unhealthy status (OR: 1.80). Patients with chronic diseases aged 25–34 (OR = 1.18) and 35–44 (OR = 1.18) were more likely to have health literacy than patients with chronic diseases aged 65–69. Illiterate or slightly literate patients (OR = 0.10) were less likely to have health literacy than patients who were in the junior college or had a bachelor’s degree or above. Patients with an average annual household income of less than 3,000 yuan (OR = 0.65) were all less likely to have health literacy than patients with an average annual household income of more than 15,000 yuan.Conclusions: Health literacy of patients with chronic conditions remains at a low level and varies significantly with their demographic and sociological characteristics. Therefore, developing and adopting appropriate health promotion programs would be necessary to improve the health literacy of all patients with different types of chronic diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Desalew Tilahun ◽  
Abebe Abera ◽  
Gugsa Nemera

Abstract Background Health literacy plays a prominent role in empowering individuals for prevention as well as management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, there is paucity of information on the health literacy of patients with non-communicable diseases in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess communicative health literacy and associated factors in patients with NCDs on follow-up at Jimma Medical Center (JMC), Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from 4 May 2020 to 4 July 2020 with 408 randomly selected adult patients, attending outpatient department of JMC in Ethiopia. The final sample size was obtained by using single population proportion formula. All patients with NCDs who were on follow-up at chronic illness clinic, JMC, were used as a source population. All eligible patients with NCDs who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in this study. A simple random sampling technique was used to recruit study participants. Data were collected through structured interviewer administered questionnaires on the six of nine health literacy domains using Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) containing 30 items, socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, disease-related factors, and health information sources. Multivariable logistic regression was executed to determine the associations. Result Descriptive analysis shows more than half of the respondents in four of the six health literacy domains had high communicative health literacy level (CHLL). The proportion of people with high CHLL across each of the domains was as follows: health care provider support (56.1%), social support for health (53.7%), active engagement with a healthcare provider (56.1%), and navigating healthcare system (53.4%). We found educational status was significantly associated with five of six health literacy domains whereas number of sources was associated with four of six health literacy domains. Conclusion The overall findings of the current study indicate that health literacy levels vary according to socio-demographic and disease characteristics of patients. Thus, healthcare professionals should assess patients’ health literacy level and tailor information and support to the health literacy skills and personal context of their patients.


Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 327
Author(s):  
Silvia Portero de la Cruz ◽  
Jesús Cebrino

Influenza is a significant public health problem and the elderly are at a greater risk of contracting the disease. The vaccination coverage of the elderly is below the Spanish target of 65% for each influenza season. The aims of this study were to report the coverage of influenza vaccination in Spain among the population aged ≥65 years and high-risk groups for suffering chronic diseases, to analyze the time trends from 2006 to 2017 and to identify the factors which affect vaccination coverage. A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted including 20,753 non-institutionalized individuals aged ≥65 years who had participated in the Spanish National Health Surveys in 2006, 2011/2012, and 2017. Sociodemographic, health-related variables, and influenza vaccination data were used. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the variables associated with influenza vaccination. Influenza vaccination coverage was 60%. By chronic condition, older people with high cholesterol levels and cancer had the lowest vaccination coverage (62.41% and 60.73%, respectively). This coverage declined from 2006 to 2017 in both groups. Higher influenza vaccination was associated with males, Spanish nationality, normal social support perceived, polypharmacy, worse perceived health, participation in other preventive measures, and increasing age and the number of chronic diseases.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pratik Khanal ◽  
Navin Devkota ◽  
Minakshi Dahal ◽  
Kiran Paudel ◽  
Shiva Raj Mishra ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundHealth workers involved in COVID-19 response might be at risk of developing fear and psychological distress. This study aimed to identify factors associated with COVID-19 fear among health workers in Nepal during the early phase of pandemic.MethodsA web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in the month of April-May 2020 among 475 health workers directly involved in COVID-19 management. The Fear Scale of COVID 19 (FCV-19S) was used to measure the status of fear. Scatter plots were used to observe the relationship between fear and other psychological outcomes: anxiety, depression and insomnia. Multivariable logistic regression was done to identify factors associated with COVID fear.ResultsCOVID-19 fear score was moderately correlated with anxiety and depression, and weakly correlated with insomnia (p<0.001). Nurses (AOR=2.29; 95% CI: 1.23-4.26), health workers experiencing stigma (AOR=1.83; 95% CI: 1.12-2.73), those working in affected district(AOR=1.76; 95% CI: 1.12-2.77) and presence of family member with chronic diseases (AOR=1.50; 95% CI: 1.01-2.25) was associated with higher odds of developing COVID-19 fear as compared to other health workers, health workers not experiencing stigma, working in non-affected district and not having family member with chronic diseases respectively.ConclusionNurses, health workers facing stigma, those working in affect district and having family member with chronic diseases were more at risk of developing COVID-19 fear. It is thus recommended to improve work environment to reduce fear among health workers, employ stigma reduction interventions, and ensure personal and family support for those having family member with chronic diseases.


2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
B.F. DO NASCIMENTO JACINTO DE SOUZA ◽  
L. MARÍN-LEON

Background: The epidemiological and nutritional transition processes in the last decades underlie the rising trend of obesity in the elderly and is related to increased risk of chronic non-communicable diseases and decreased functional status. Objective: To analyze the association of demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and health-related factors with overweight and obesity in elderly. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Carried out in Campinas-São Paulo, Brazil, in 2011. Participants: 452 non-institutionalized elderly (aged ≥60 years), half were users of a government-run soup kitchen and the other half were neighbors of the same sex. Results:Overweight frequency (BMI ≥25 and <30 kg/m2) was 44.5% and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) was 21.7%. In the multiple multinomial logistic regression model adjusted for sex, age group and economic class, there was greater chance of overweight among those that reported dyslipidemia; those that reported arthritis/ arthrosis/rheumatism and that once or more per week replaced supper by a snack were more likely to be obese. Elderly who did not leave home daily and reported diabetes had higher chance of overweight and obesity. Conclusions: Overweight and obesity are associated with worse living and health-related conditions, such as physical inactivity, changes in eating behaviors, and chronic diseases. Public health policies should encourage regular physical activity and healthy eating behaviors, focusing on traditional diet, through nutritional education, in order to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity and chronic diseases.


Author(s):  
Ingrid Alves Ribeiro ◽  
Luciano Ramos de Lima ◽  
Cris Renata Grou Volpe ◽  
Silvana Schwerz Funghetto ◽  
Tânia Cristina Maria Santa Barbara Rehem ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the frailty syndrome in the elderly nursing diagnosis in elderly with chronic diseases of a health district of the Federal District. Method: A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with elderly patients served at the Basic Health Units, who presented arterial hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus. The following were used: a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination, anthropometric data, evaluation of sarcopenia (measured by body composition), muscle strength and functional capacity, and the identification of NANDA-I nursing diagnosis. A statistical software was used for data analysis. Results: Participation of 78 elderly people, of which 93.6% of had Impaired memory, 93.6% had Impaired physical mobility, 82.1% had Fatigue, 76.9% had Impaired ambulation, 53.8% had Dressing self-care deficit, 43.6% had Activity Intolerance, 35.9% had Social Isolation, 30.8% had Hopelessness, 29.5% had Feeding self-care deficit, 29.5% had Bathing self-care deficit, 12.8% had Toileting self-care deficit, and 10.3% had Decreased cardiac output. Conclusion: The nursing diagnosis Frailty Syndrome in the Elderly allows a multidimensional view of the elderly. Since one factor can cause health problems in several health fields, nurses must intervene early, plan and implement actions in the short and long term.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Mei ◽  
Qing Zhong ◽  
Gong Chen ◽  
Yuanxia Huang ◽  
Junlin Li

Abstract Background In recent years, research on health literacy has become increasingly focused on the health care system and public health. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate health literacy and analyse the risk factors that affect health literacy in Wuhan, China. Methods Multistage stratified random sampling was used to select 5304 urban and rural residents aged 15 to 69 years from 204 monitoring points in 15 districts of Wuhan. Using the Chinese Citizen Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) (2018 edition), a face-to-face survey was conducted from November to December 2018. Risk factors that may affect health literacy were assessed using the Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression models. Results The knowledge rate of health literacy was relatively low (19.3%). The knowledge rate of health-related behaviour and lifestyle (BAL, 17.3%) was the lowest of the three aspects of health literacy, and the knowledge rate of chronic diseases (CD, 19.0%) was the lowest of the six dimensions of health literacy. Respondents who lived in urban areas, had higher education levels, worked as medical staff, had a higher household income and did not suffer from chronic diseases were likely to have higher health literacy. Conclusions The health literacy levels of citizens in Wuhan are insufficient and need to improve.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Ju Seo ◽  
Dong Young Lee ◽  
Mi Ra Sung

ABSTRACTBackground:The highest increase in the prevalence of dementia in the elderly population is expected in South Korea than in any other country in the world. However, there is no assessment of the community-based general populations’ understanding of dementia in South Korea, in spite of the increasing burden of dementia. Thus, this study assessed the public knowledge about dementia.Methods:This is a population-based, cross-sectional study of 2,189 participants, aged 10 years or older, and living in Seoul, South Korea. A 12-item questionnaire with true/false responses was used to assess the knowledge about dementia from June to November 2011. The data obtained were analyzed using quantitative methods.Results:The mean score for the knowledge about dementia was 9.0 ± 2.1 points out of 12 points. More than half of the respondents (52.7%) reported that dementia is not treatable, and one-third of the participants did not know that Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. The level of dementia knowledge was negatively associated with increasing age, and positively associated with higher education level.Conclusions:Our results suggest that although laypersons had a fair knowledge about dementia, further educational programs and campaigns are needed to improve knowledge about dementia, more focusing on elderly adults as the target audience and emphasizing the causes and treatments of dementia as educational contents.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 377-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene Buch Pedersen ◽  
Morten Helmer-Nielsen ◽  
Karin Brochstedt Dieperink ◽  
Birte Østergaard

Background:Exercise on prescription (EOP) is an attempt to increase physical activity among sedentary adults with signs of lifestyle diseases. Until now, no studies have focused on patients with chronic diseases and how they assess the long-term effect of participating in EOP consisting of supervised interventions of different intensities. This study aimed to describe and compare self-reported physical activity in the long term among participants in 3 EOP modules of different intensities.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1152 former participants in EOP between July 2005 and May 2007 in 2 Danish counties. Physical activity was measured as number of days with a minimum 30 minutes of moderate/vigorous activity.Results:Seventy-five percent (n = 854) returned the questionnaire. Of these, 36% reported being physically active ≥ 5 days/week. Comparing leisure-time activities before EOP 29% was sedentary vs. 15% (P < 0 .01) after, moderate + hard leisure-time activities was 7% before vs. 19% after EOP (P < 0 .01). Time postintervention did not influence the numbers reporting to be physical active negatively.Conclusions:This study in community-dwelling adults with chronic diseases participating in EOP finds that approximately one-third reported being physically active in the long term postintervention, but no differences between the modalities were found.


Author(s):  
Sergiy Shatenko ◽  
Samuel Harder ◽  
Jane Gair

Background: Health literacy is an increasingly important topic in healthcare given that low health literacy is widely prevalent and linked to poorer health outcomes and higher healthcare costs. We sought to determine if a Mini-Med School delivered by medical students could prove to be an effective intervention to improve health literacy in the elderly. Methods: This study took place in the context of the University of British Columbia Medical Doctorate Undergraduate Program’s Flexible and Enhanced Learning course. It aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Mini-Med School lecture series as an intervention to increase health literacy in 24 volunteer participants from the University of Victoria Retirees Association. This was a cross sectional study comparing health literacy pre- and post-intervention using the validated Health Literacy Questionnaire. Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in 7 of 9 scales of health literacy when participants repeated the Health Literacy Questionnaire 6 weeks post-intervention as well as positive outcomes from both a student learning and community outreach perspective. Discussion: This study demonstrates that a Mini-Med School program is an effective way to increase health literacy; adds to the minimal research surrounding Mini-Med Schools; and should further encourage Canadian medical schools to use Mini-Medical Schools as method of engagement and advocacy with their communities.


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