The Relationship Between Quality of Life and Health Literacy in Adults with Celiac Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the quality of life and health literacy of patients with celiac disease and to examine the relationship between these two concepts. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 119 adults registered with the Celiac Disease Association of Turkey in 2023. Descriptive information form, Celiac Quality of Life Questionnaire and Turkey Health Literacy Scale 32 were used for data collection. Results: The mean quality of life score for celiac patients was 75.41±15.29 and the mean health literacy score was 25.16±11.23. There was a significant moderate positive correlation between health literacy and quality of life. Health literacy explained 13.0% of the change in quality of life. The gluten-free diet was found to be an important factor that could affect the quality of life of celiac patients in terms of their emotional state, anxiety, social life, and gastrointestinal symptoms. The study identified eight risk factors for health literacy. Conclusion: This study found that patients with celiac disease have a lower than average quality of life and limited health literacy. The study found that there was a positive relationship between health literacy and quality of life. It was concluded that as patients' health literacy increases, their quality of life may also increase.