Health literacy and its sociodemographic and health determinants

OBJECTIVE: To assess health literacy and its sociodemographic and clinical associations among users of an emergency care unit. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a 24-hour emergency care unit in southern Brazil, with a sample of 550 users (≥18 years). A sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire was applied, along with scales 1 to 5 of the Health Literacy Questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed (Student's t-test and ANOVA; p ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: The highest averages were found in "social support" (2.95 ± 0.60) and "information assessment" (2.71 ± 0.44), and the lowest in "sufficient information" (2.64 ± 0.49) and "professional understanding" (2.69 ± 0.58). Higher scores were associated with female sex (p = 0.021), age >40 years old (p ≤ 0.044), living together (p = 0.045; p = 0.010), cohabitation (p = 0.008), higher income (p = 0.006; p = 0.007), and higher own or parents' education level (p ≤ 0.038). Reading habits were associated with all dimensions (p ≤ 0.005). Health problem (p ≤ 0.023), adherence to treatment (p < 0.05), recent service search (p ≤ 0.037), and seek for information from professionals (p = 0.001) also influenced the scores. CONCLUSION: Health literacy varied significantly according to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics among users.