End-of-life health literacy, knowledge and behaviours towards advance care planning among older adults: cross-sectional evidence from Switzerland

Population ageing, technological advancements and an increasing emphasis on patient empowerment imply that individuals are increasingly confronted with intricate end-of-life decisions. Personal end-of-life health literacy skills may help empower individuals to participate more actively in their own end-of-life decisions, including engagement in advance care planning (ACP). This study thus investigates the associations between individuals’ end-of-life health literacy and their knowledge and behaviours toward ACP among a population-based sample of adults aged 58+ years in Switzerland.We used data from 1319 respondents from Wave 8 (2019/2020) of the Survey on Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe. The Subjective End-of-life Health Literacy Scale (S-EOL-HLS) served as the measurement tool. Respondents’ end-of-life knowledge was assessed using test-based questions about 11 end-of-life medical situations. Behaviours toward ACP were measured by whether respondents have discussed their end-of-life wishes, completed advance directives (AD) and appointed a potential surrogate for medical decisions in case of incapacity. Associations were estimated using separate ordinary least square and probit regressions, controlling for social, health and regional characteristics.Respondents with higher end-of-life health literacy tended to have better end-of-life knowledge and were more likely to have discussed their end-of-life wishes, to have completed AD and to have appointed a surrogate for medical decisions in case of incapacity. On regressing the outcomes on the three end-of-life health literacy dimensions, interactive health literacy positively correlated with end-of-life knowledge and the three behaviours toward ACP, while critical health literacy was only associated with having an AD and appointing a surrogate for medical decisions.Our findings suggest that end-of-life health literacy may play a significant role in individuals' level of end-of-life knowledge and their behaviour toward ACP. Thus, developing public health policies that aim at strengthening their end-of-life health literacy skills may increase individuals’ engagement in the ACP process and make ACP more effective.