Assessment of the level of health literacy in students with specific learning disorders

Abstract Background Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs) include dyslexia, dysorthography, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia and are referred to as specific educational learning disabilities. For students with SLDs, the issue of health literacy (HL) arises because understanding, evaluating and utilising health information are critical to making informed decisions about one’s health. This study aims to determine the level of HL in students with a certified SLD. Methods From November 2023 to April 2024, students with an SLD studying at the University of Udine (Italy) who agreed to participate, were surveyed using an online questionnaire on the EUSurvey platform. This consisted of the HLS-EU-Q47 to measure HL, followed by a socio-demographic section. The HLS-EU-Q47 classified HL into 4 levels: inadequate, problematic, sufficient and excellent; descriptive analysis was performed and the correlation with the sociodemographic data was examined using χ² test. Results 38 students participated (mean age 24 years, 60.5% female), 60% of whom are in an undergraduate degree program. 42% of the sample had a single SLD (26% dyslexia, 13% dysgraphia), while 58% of them have multiple SLDs. Overall, 42% of students were found to have a problematic HL level, 24% inadequate, only 24% sufficient and 11% excellent. No statistically significant association was found between) HL level and gender, number of SLDs, school attended at the time of SLD certification, and use of supports (all p-values>0.05). Conclusions The level of HL in students with SLDs appears to be consistent with data from the Italian population (58% inadequate or problematic) from the 2019-HLS19 Health Literacy Survey. This suggests that the presence of an SLD does not affect the level of HL and that it is likely that the university degree is able compensate for HL difficulties that could be related to the presence of an SLD. A larger sample is needed to see if it is confirmed that there is no association between the investigated variables. Key messages • Despite the presence of SLDs, the HL of academic students follows the same trend compared to the general Italian population. • The structural use of supportive measures by these students probably bridges the gap in access to and correct use of health information.