Health literacy and body mass index: a population-based study in a South-Eastern European country.
J Public Health (Oxf)
; 43(1): 123-130, 2021 04 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31768531
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The relationship of health literacy (HL) with objective measures including anthropometric measurements remains an under-researched topic to date.OBJECTIVE:
To assess the association between body mass index (BMI) and HL among Albanian adults.METHODS:
A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tirana, Albania, in 2012-2014 including a population-based sample of 1154 individuals aged ≥18 years. HL was assessed by the use of HLS-EU-Q instrument. Anthropometrics included measurement of weight and height based on which BMI was calculated. Information on socio-demographic characteristics was also collected. Logistic regression was employed to assess the independent association of BMI and HL controlling all socio-demographic factors.RESULTS:
One-fifth of the participants reported an inadequate HL level, whereas almost one-third (31%) reported an excellent HL level. About 41% of study participants were overweight and further 22% were obese. In multivariate analysis, there was evidence of a strong and significant association between BMI and HL the odds of overweight/obesity were two times higher (OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.3-3.1) among inadequate HL individuals compared with excellent HL participants.CONCLUSION:
Our findings, pertinent to a transitional country in the South East Europe, point to a strong, consistent and highly significant association between BMI and HL, irrespective of a wide array of socio-demographic characteristics.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Letramento em Saúde
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Public Health (Oxf)
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article