Communicative health literacy and associated variables in nine European countries: results from the HLS19 survey

Our study aimed to report on variables associated with communicative health literacy (COM-HL) in European adults. The HLS<sub>19</sub> survey was conducted in 2019-2021 including nine countries which measured COM-HL by using a validated questionnaire (HLS<sub>19</sub>-COM-P-Q6 with a score ranging from 0 to 100). Linear regression models were used to study variables associated with COM-HL globally (multilevel model with random intercepts and slopes and at country level) and in each country. Additional models studied each of the HLS<sub>19</sub>-COM-P-Q6 items separately. The mean COM-HL score ranged between 62.5 and 76.6 across countries. Among the 18,137 pooled participants, COM-HL was positively associated with age, a higher self-perceived social status, previous training in healthcare, an increasing number of general practitioner visits; and negatively associated with female sex, reported financial difficulties, having a chronic condition and an increasing number of specialist visits. These effects were heterogeneous from one country to another, and from one item to another when analysing the different COM-HL items separately. However, there was a consistent statistically significant association between COM-HL (score and each item) and financial difficulties as well as self-perceived social status in all countries. Interventions to improve communication between patients and physicians should be a high priority to limit communication disparities.

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Publication Details

Journal
Scientific Reports
Published
2024-12-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79327-w
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.40

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article

Communicative health literacy and associated variables in nine European countries: results from the HLS19 survey

Christina Dietscher, Brigid Unim, Miguel Arriaga, Christa Straßmayr et al.
4 citations
Scientific Reports
Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
3.40
article

Communicative health literacy and associated variables in nine European countries: results from the HLS19 survey

Christina Dietscher, Brigid Unim, Miguel Arriaga, Christa Straßmayr, Hanne Søberg Finbråten, Christopher Le, Mitja Vrdelja, Saskia Maria De Gani, Kjell Sverre Pettersen, Henrik Bøggild, Robert Griebler, Asgeir J. Sørensen, M. V. Lopatina, Sarah Gibney, Nigyar Dzhafer, Øystein Guttersrud, A Šteflová, Lucy Bruton, Lennert Griese, Andreia Costa, Rana Charafeddine, Zdeněk Kučera, Daniela Galeone, Cécile Allaire, Diane Levin‐Zamir, Antoniya Yanakieva, Tamara Štemberger Kolnik, Salvatore Metanmo, Julien Mancini, Doris Schaeffer, Éva Bíró, Luigi Palmieri, Peter Nowak, Jürgen M. Pelikan, Stephan Van den Broucke, Alexander Schmidt-Gernig, Zuzana Klocháňová, Karin Gasser, Oxana M. Drapkina
article en
4 citations

Abstract

Our study aimed to report on variables associated with communicative health literacy (COM-HL) in European adults. The HLS<sub>19</sub> survey was conducted in 2019-2021 including nine countries which measured COM-HL by using a validated questionnaire (HLS<sub>19</sub>-COM-P-Q6 with a score ranging from 0 to 100). Linear regression models were used to study variables associated with COM-HL globally (multilevel model with random intercepts and slopes and at country level) and in each country. Additional models studied each of the HLS<sub>19</sub>-COM-P-Q6 items separately. The mean COM-HL score ranged between 62.5 and 76.6 across countries. Among the 18,137 pooled participants, COM-HL was positively associated with age, a higher self-perceived social status, previous training in healthcare, an increasing number of general practitioner visits; and negatively associated with female sex, reported financial difficulties, having a chronic condition and an increasing number of specialist visits. These effects were heterogeneous from one country to another, and from one item to another when analysing the different COM-HL items separately. However, there was a consistent statistically significant association between COM-HL (score and each item) and financial difficulties as well as self-perceived social status in all countries. Interventions to improve communication between patients and physicians should be a high priority to limit communication disparities.

Scientific ReportsVol. 14(1)
University of Debrecen (HU), Norwegian Directorate of Health (NO), Inserm (FR), OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University (NO), University of Oslo (NO), Bielefeld University (DE), Aix-Marseille Université (FR), Istituto Superiore di Sanità (IT), Ministero della Salute (IT), Medical University of Sofia (BG), Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille (FR), Santé Publique France (FR), Ministry of Health (CZ), Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic (SK), Federal Office of Public Health (CH), National Research Center for Preventive Medicine (RU), University of Inland Norway (NO), Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (RU), National Institute of Public Health (SI), Gesundheit Österreich (AT), Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (AT), Ministry of Health (SI), Department of Health (IE), Direção Geral do Território (PT), Sciensano (Belgium) (BE), Institut Paoli-Calmettes (FR), Economic & Social Sciences, Health Systems & Medical Informatics (FR), Danish Ministry of Health (DK), Federal Ministry of Health (DE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Clalit Health Services (IL), Aalborg University (DK), University of Haifa (IL), UCLouvain (BE)
Public Health Agency, Aalborg Universitet, Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, Ligue Contre le Cancer, Emberi Eroforrások Minisztériuma
Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
3.40
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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