Shibuya Akiko, Inoue Ryusuke, Ohkubo Takayoshi, Takeda Yumiko, Teshima Takeo, Imai Yutaka, Kondo Yoshiaki
Department of Health Care Services Management, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Blood Press Monit. 2011 Oct;16(5):224-30. doi: 10.1097/MBP.0b013e32834af7ba.
With the growth in the popularity of the Internet, individuals' skills in finding and applying information about health issues [health literacy (HL)] are affecting their health behaviors. This study aimed to examine functional HL (FHL), critical HL (CHL), and hypertension knowledge (HK) among middle-aged Japanese adults. In addition, to measure health outcomes, we examined the relationship between HL, HK, and blood pressure (BP) level.
The study included middle-aged participants who received an annual health check-up at an urban clinic in Japan. FHL, CHL, and HK were assessed using structured questionnaires. In addition, BP was obtained from the electronic medical record.
Participants included 139 women and 181 men with a mean age of 54.4 years (standard deviation = 0.69). Individuals with lower reading comprehension scores in FHL were more likely to have a history of hypertension (P = 0.003) and diabetes mellitus (P = 0.02). Individuals with lower CHL had significantly higher rates of current smoking (P = 0.03) and men with lower CHL had a significantly higher waist circumference (P = 0.03). There was a significant relationship between sex and HK (P = 0.03). Systolic BP in women with higher HL and HK was significantly lower than in men with higher FHL (P < 0.001), CHL (P = 0.01), and HK (P = 0.001).
Lower HL and HK were associated with a poor health status and BP level in middle-aged participants. Further research is needed to examine the role of health management in improving outcomes and to address disparities between individuals with higher and lower HL.
随着互联网普及率的提高，个人查找和应用健康问题信息的技能（健康素养[HL]）正在影响他们的健康行为。本研究旨在调查日本中年成年人的功能性健康素养（FHL）、批判性健康素养（CHL）和高血压知识（HK）。此外，为了衡量健康结果，我们研究了HL、HK与血压（BP）水平之间的关系。
该研究纳入了在日本一家城市诊所接受年度健康检查的中年参与者。使用结构化问卷评估FHL、CHL和HK。此外，从电子病历中获取BP。
参与者包括139名女性和181名男性，平均年龄为54.4岁（标准差 = 0.69）。FHL阅读理解得分较低的个体更有可能有高血压病史（P = 0.003）和糖尿病史（P = 0.02）。CHL较低的个体当前吸烟率显著更高（P = 0.03），CHL较低的男性腰围显著更大（P = 0.03）。性别与HK之间存在显著关系（P = 0.03）。HL和HK较高的女性收缩压显著低于FHL较高（P < 0.001）、CHL较高（P = 0.01）和HK较高（P = 0.001）的男性。
中年参与者中较低的HL和HK与健康状况不佳和BP水平相关。需要进一步研究以检查健康管理在改善结果中的作用，并解决HL较高和较低个体之间的差异。
