Is Higher Health Literacy Associated with Better Self-Care in the Elderly?

Background and Objective: The increase in the global elderly population has become a crisis. The elderly population with low level of health literacy, introduced as a global issue in the 21st century, is considered as a common global problem. Health-promoting self-care behaviors are directly related to the health of the elderly and their quality of life by reducing the mortality and morbidity rates. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between health literacy and self-care in the old elderly population in Yazd, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 elderly people in Yazd. The participants were selected using a cluster sampling method. The data collection tools were conducted by a demographic questionnaire, a researcher-made questionnaire over self-care behaviors, and Health Literacy for Iranian Adults questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS20 (SPSS, Inc. Chicago, USA) using descriptive and inferential statistical tests. Results: The participants average age was 66 years. The studied elderly people achieved 79.5% and 65.7% of the maximum attainable levels of the health literacy and self-care scores, respectively. A direct correlation was observed between the health literacy and self-care scores. Conclusion: Regarding the moderate level of self-care in the elderly people and its relationship with health literacy, appropriate educational interventions in the field of health literacy are needed for the elderly and their families. These training should be aimed to improve the old people s self-care and responsiveness with regard to various diseases by increasing their health literacy.