Health literacy and its associated factors among older adults in Taiwan: The role of media use and healthcare experience.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the level of health literacy among older adults in Taiwan and to examine the predictive roles of media use, perceived healthcare experiences, and social support.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 335 adults aged 65 years and older between July 2016 and December 2016. Data were collected through structured face-to-face interviews using the validated instruments. Health literacy was assessed using the Mandarin Multidimensional Health Literacy Questionnaire; media use was measured by the frequency of traditional (e.g., TV and newspapers) and digital (e.g., Internet and social media) health information access; healthcare experiences were evaluated based on perceptions of organizational health literacy; and health-related social support was measured via perceived support from family and friends. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and hierarchical multiple regression analysis.

Results: Overall, 69.3% of participants exhibited limited health literacy, with the appraisal domain being the weakest (66.3% limited). Significant differences in health literacy were observed by gender, educational attainment, traditional and digital media use, and perceived healthcare experience (all P < 0.001). Hierarchical regression analysis identified traditional media use (β = 0.333), digital media use (β = 0.215), and perceived healthcare experience (β = 0.165) as significant predictors, increasing the explained variance from 12.1% to 35.3%. Social support was not a significant predictor.

Conclusion: Media use and favorable healthcare experiences were positively associated with health literacy in older adults. Future interventions should improve access to traditional and digital media and foster health-literate environments to mitigate disparities in aging populations.