Background: Chronic constipation (CC) adversely impacts quality of life (QoL). Health literacy (HL) may positively influence QoL, but evidence of this is limited in patients with CC. We examined the association between HL and QoL in patients with CC and explored sex differences. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among 423 Japanese patients with CC who had been prescribed laxatives for at least 6 months. HL and QoL were assessed using the 14-item Health Literacy Scale and Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAC-QoL), respectively. Results: Females had higher functional HL ( p = 0.004, Cohen’s r = 0.14), poorer QoL (indicated by higher PAC-QoL scores; p < 0.001, Cohen’s r = 0.17), and greater constipation severity ( p = 0.002, Cohen’s r = 0.15) than males. Multivariable regression showed that higher functional HL (regression coefficient β = −1.06, 95% confidence interval CI −1.53, −0.60) was associated with better QoL, whereas higher critical HL ( β = 1.34, 95% CI 0.71, 1.94), female sex ( β = 3.73, 95% CI 0.05, 7.18), part-time employment ( β = 3.17, 95% CI 0.54, 5.87), and greater constipation severity ( β = 2.69, 95% CI 2.24, 3.13) were associated with poorer QoL. These associations did not differ substantially by sex. Conclusions: Functional HL was positively associated with QoL, while critical HL was negatively associated with QoL. Although females reported poorer QoL, the association between HL and QoL was consistent across the sexes, suggesting that comprehensive support, including HL interventions, may benefit female patients.
Takaki et al. (Thu,) studied this question.