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This study was undertaken to examine the relationship among selected factors, health literacy and clinical outcomes among community dwellers with hypertension.

The samples of 360 persons with hypertension aged 20 years old and over were selected using proportional stratified random sampling with simple random sampling from 6 sub-district Health Promoting Hospitals in Muang District, Prachinburi Province. The instrument was used to screen subjects who were 60 years old and older with The Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ). Health literacy was used for hypertension questionnaires and record clinical outcomes to elicit data regarding blood pressure levels, body mass index, and waist circumference. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics including chi-square test.

The findings revealed that most participants had inadequate overall health literacy (53.1%), inadequate health literacy on functional, interactive and critical health literacy subscale (47.8%, 60.3%, 40.0% respectively) and that there was a significant correlation between selected factors and overall health literacy with statistical significance (p < 0.01) were age, educational background, income, community roles, and severity of illness whereas gender, having co-morbidity and duration of living with hypertension was not associated. In addition, there was a significant correlation between health literacy level and clinical outcomes with systolic blood pressure with statistical significance (p < 0.05) whereas diastolic blood pressure, Body mass index (BM) and waist circumference was not associated.

This study suggested that healthcare teams should provide health information and hypertension education programs focusing on target populations, particularly to persons with inadequate health literacy including the elderly, those with low education and of low income. They should communicate effectively and make health information accessible and in a language that is easy-to-understand to promote proper decision-making and lead to good clinical outcomes.

health literacy, selected factors, hypertension, clinical outcomes

Nareemarn Neelapaichit ,RN,DrPH. Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand. email:[email protected]

Received: February 11, 2018

Revision received: March 26, 2018

Accepted after revision: May 22, 2018

BKK Med J 2018;14(2): 40-47.

DOI: 10.31524/bkkmedj.2018.09.008