Association of Health Literacy and Quality of Life in Adults with Diabetes

Introduction: Diabetes exerts a substantial influence on the quality of life of adults, affecting both physical and mental well-being. Lifestyle modifications, including dietary restrictions, medication management, physical activity, and regular monitoring, can be demanding. Health literacy (HL), defined as an individual's capacity to comprehend and utilize health information for informed decision making, may impact one's decision-making ability and, consequently, quality of life. The aim of the study is to find association between health literacy and quality of life in adults with diabetes using Health Literacy Instrument for Adults (HELIA) and EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level questionnaire (EQ 5D 5L). Method: 60 adults aged 18-65 years diagnosed with diabetes were included. An observational analytical study was conducted in Ahmedabad. A google form was generated and shared across various social media platforms. Age, gender, and education level and other details such as duration of the disease, recent HbA1c levels, and medication status, were collected. To evaluate health literacy, HELIA was taken and for quality of life, EQ 5D 5L was taken. Results: 60 adults participated including 55% males and 45% females. 91.7% participants were between 41-65 years of age. 88.3% of participants were on medication and 61.7% participants had other co-morbidities. Participants were diverse according to their education and duration of suffering from diabetes. There was significant moderate negative correlation (r = -0.5515, p > 001) of HELIA with EQ 5D 5L scores. Conclusion: Decreased health literacy correlates with a lower level of quality of life in adults with diabetes.