The relationship between health literacy and quality of life among frequent users of health care services: a cross-sectional study

Éva Marjorie Couture, Maud-Christine Chouinard, Martin Fortin, Catherine Hudon, Éva Marjorie Couture, Maud-Christine Chouinard, Martin Fortin, Catherine Hudon

Abstract

Background: Although health literacy and quality of life are important concepts in health care, the link between them is unclear, especially for a population of frequent users of health care services with chronic diseases. Low health literacy is a common problem that has been linked to several negative health outcomes. Quality of life is an important health outcome in patient-centered care. Frequent users of health care services are a vulnerable population that deserves attention due to high costs and negative outcomes such as lower quality of life and higher mortality. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between health literacy and the physical and mental components of quality of life among frequent users of health care services with chronic diseases.

Methods: This study presents the cross-sectional analysis of data collected through the V1SAGES project, a randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of a case management intervention in primary care in Quebec, Canada. Participants (n = 247) were frequent users of health care services presenting at least one chronic condition. Health literacy was measured by the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), and the physical and mental components of quality of life were evaluated by the Short Form Health Survey Version 2 (SF-12v2). The association between health literacy (independent variable) and the physical and mental components of quality of life was examined using biserial correlation.

Results: No association was found between health literacy and quality of life (physical component: r = 0.108, ρ = 0.11; mental component: r = 0.147, ρ = 0.15).

Conclusion: This study suggests that there is no relationship between health literacy and the physical and mental components of quality of life among frequent users of health care services.

Trial registration: NCT01719991 . Registered October 25, 2012.

Keywords: Chronic disease; Frequent users; Health literacy; Primary care; Quality of life.

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study was approved by the research ethics board of the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et services sociaux (CIUSSS) du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. All the participants completed and signed an informed consent form.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

This project is funded by the Pfizer-FRSQ-MSSS chronic disease fund. None of the funding agencies - Pfizer, Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQ-S) or the ministère de la santé et des services sociaux (MSSS) - had any role in preparing, reviewing or approving the manuscript. They will not be involved in the collection, analysis or interpretation of the data.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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