Lifestyle-associated health literacy in subjects with systemic arterial hypertension in a first-level unit

Abstract

Introduction: Various factors can influence the control of systemic arterial hypertension (SAH), one of the most widely demonstrated is lifestyle. The impact that various behavioral and psychological conditions can have on lifestyle has not been fully established, as is the case of Health Literacy, whose study is limited. Objective: To associate the degree of health and lifestyle literacy in subjects with systemic arterial hypertension (SAH). Material and methods: Observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study. During the period from November 2022 to November 2023 in a first-level care unit. The following questionnaires were applied: European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16) and the Fantastic Lifestyle Test. Single and multiple Prevalence Odds Ratios (PMRs) were calculated using a Multiple Logistic Regression (RLM) model. The multivariate model included: health literacy, male gender and basic schooling. Results: Of 424 subjects, 79.2% were women, with a median age of 48 years, with interquartile ranges (IQR) of 40 to 52 years. In the multivariate model, inadequate health literacy presented a PMR of 17.86 with a 95% CI (9.50-33.58), the male gender a WMR of 1.99 with a 95% CI (1.07-3.71) and basic schooling a WMR of 2.61 with a 95% CI (1.28-5.30). Conclusion: Inadequate literacy is a risk factor for an unhealthy lifestyle in subjects with SAH, in simple and adjusted analysis. Prospective cohort studies are required that can verify the findings shown here.