Determinants of Health Literacy and Its Associations With Health-Related Behaviors, Depression Among the Older People With and Without Suspected COVID-19 Symptoms: A Multi-Institutional Study

• Main Authors: Binh N. Do (Author), Phung-Anh Nguyen (Author), Khue M. Pham (Author), Hoang C. Nguyen (Author), Minh H. Nguyen (Author), Cuong Q. Tran (Author), Thao T. P. Nguyen (Author), Tien V. Tran (Author), Linh V. Pham (Author), Khanh V. Tran (Author), Trang T. Duong (Author), Thai H. Duong (Author), Kien T. Nguyen (Author), Thu T. M. Pham (Author), Min-Huei Hsu (Author), Tuyen Van Duong (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A., 2020-11-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2296-2565; 10.3389/fpubh.2020.581746
• Keywords: COVID-19; older people; health literacy; health-related behaviors; depression; Vietnam; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Frontiers in Public Health, Vol 8 (2020)

Purpose: We examined factors associated with health literacy among elders with and without suspected COVID-19 symptoms (S-COVID-19-S).Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at outpatient departments of nine hospitals and health centers 14 February−2 March 2020. Self-administered questionnaires were used to assess patient characteristics, health literacy, clinical information, health-related behaviors, and depression. A sample of 928 participants aged 60-85 years were analyzed.Results: The proportion of people with S-COVID-19-S and depression were 48.3 and 13.4%, respectively. The determinants of health literacy in groups with and without S-COVID-19-S were age, gender, education, ability to pay for medication, and social status. In people with S-COVID-19-S, one-score increment of health literacy was associated with 8% higher healthy eating likelihood (odds ratio, OR, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 95%CI, 1.04, 1.13; p < 0.001), 4% higher physical activity likelihood (OR, 1.04; 95%CI, 1.01, 1.08, p = 0.023), and 9% lower depression likelihood (OR, 0.90; 95%CI, 0.87, 0.94; p < 0.001). These associations were not found in people without S-COVID-19-S.Conclusions: The older people with higher health literacy were less likely to have depression and had healthier behaviors in the group with S-COVD-19-S. Potential health literacy interventions are suggested to promote healthy behaviors and improve mental health outcomes to lessen the pandemic's damage in this age group.