Department of Health Science, University of Florence, Viale GB Morgagni 48, 50134 Firenze, Italy.
Quality and Equity Unit, Regional Health Agency of Tuscany, 50141 Florence, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Apr 19;15(4):798. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15040798.
This study analyses the relationship between the antecedents and consequences of health literacy (HL) at the ecological level among the nations involved in the European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU). The antecedents and consequences were investigated by means of proxy indicators. The HL was measured using the 47-item HLS-EU questionnaire (HLS-EUQ47) and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS). The two measures stood in significant correlation to the outcomes of the sub-discipline of the Euro Health Consumer Index (r = 0.790 for HLS-EUQ47; r = 0.789 for NVS). The HLS-EUQ47 also stood in correlation to the percentage of population with post-secondary education (r = 0.810), the reading performance for 15-year-old students (r = 0.905), the presence of a national screening program for breast (r = 0.732) or cervical cancer (r = 0.873). The NVS stood in correlation with the unemployment rate (r = −0.778), the Gross Domestic Product (r = 0.719), the Gini coefficient (r = −0.743), the rank of the Euro Patient Empowerment Index (r = −0.826), the expenditure on social protection (r = 0.814), the Consumer Empowerment Index (r = 0.898), the percentage of adults using the internet for seeking health information (r = 0.759), the prevalence of overweight individuals (r = −0.843), the health expenditure (r = 0.766), as well as the percentage of individuals using the internet for interacting with public authorities (r = 0.755). This study provides some preliminary considerations regarding alternative means by which to study HL and proposes new methods for experimentation. The methods and the results could offer a means by which the relationship between society and overall healthcare protection could be strengthened.
本研究分析了参与欧洲健康素养调查（HLS-EU）的国家在生态层面上健康素养（HL）的前因和后果之间的关系。使用替代指标研究了前因和后果。HL 使用 47 项 HLS-EU 问卷（HLS-EUQ47）和最新生命体征（NVS）进行测量。这两种测量方法与欧洲健康消费者指数（Euro Health Consumer Index）的一个分支的结果呈显著相关（HLS-EUQ47 的 r = 0.790；NVS 的 r = 0.789）。HLS-EUQ47 还与接受过中学后教育的人口百分比（r = 0.810）、15 岁学生的阅读成绩（r = 0.905）、全国乳腺癌（r = 0.732）或宫颈癌筛查计划的存在（r = 0.873）相关。NVS 与失业率（r = −0.778）、国内生产总值（r = 0.719）、基尼系数（r = −0.743）、欧洲患者赋权指数（r = −0.826）的排名、社会保护支出（r = 0.814）、消费者赋权指数（r = 0.898）、成年人使用互联网寻求健康信息的百分比（r = 0.759）、超重人群的比例（r = −0.843）、健康支出（r = 0.766）以及个人使用互联网与公共当局互动的百分比（r = 0.755）相关。本研究提供了一些关于研究 HL 的替代方法的初步考虑，并提出了新的实验方法。这些方法和结果可以为加强社会与整体医疗保健保护之间的关系提供一种手段。
