The mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between health literacy and health status in Korean older adults: A short report

Abstract

Objectives: Limited health literacy has been shown to be associated with poor health status. However, research to date has not elucidated the factors that mediate the relationship between low literacy and poor health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between health literacy and health status in Korean older adults.

Method: A cross-sectional study of 103 community-dwelling Korean older adults was conducted from June 2007 to September 2007.

Results: The study found that low health literacy was associated with poorer physical and mental health status, and the effect of health literacy on physical and mental health status was mediated through self-efficacy.

Conclusion: The study suggests that interventions to improve the delivery of care for older adults with low health literacy need to include not only improving the readability of health-related materials, but also enhancing the self-efficacy of each individual.

Keywords:

• health literacy
• mental health
• physical health
• self-efficacy

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Kyungpook National University Research Fund awarded to Dr. Kim in 2006.