School of Graduate Studies; Asia Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies; Centre for Social Policy & Social Change, Lingnan University, Hong Kong (SAR).
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Aug 31;16(17):3188. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16173188.
It is well established that health literacy positively affects health outcomes, and social support influences this association. What remains unclear is which aspect of social support (instrumental, informational, and emotional support) is responsible for this effect and whether the influence differs from one population group to another. This study addresses these lacunae. It examines the impact each type of support makes on the relation between functional health literacy (FHL) and self-rated health status among younger and older adults in Ghana. Data were pooled from two cross-sectional surveys, together comprising 521 participants in the Ashanti Region. The results indicated that young adults were more likely to possess sufficient FHL and perceive their health more positively than older adults. While FHL was positively associated with health status, the relation was stronger when young adults received a high level of emotional support. Among older persons, informational support substantially moderated the association between FHL and health status. Thus, social support modifies the relations between FHL and health status among younger and older adults in different ways and to different degrees. Therefore, interventions to improve FHL and health amongst younger and older adults should pay due regard to relevant aspects of social support.
健康素养对健康结果有积极影响，这一点已得到充分证实，而社会支持则影响着这种关联。但仍不清楚社会支持的哪个方面（工具性支持、信息性支持和情感性支持）对此产生影响，以及这种影响是否因人群群体而异。本研究旨在解决这些空白。它调查了每种支持类型对加纳年轻和老年成年人的功能健康素养（FHL）与自我评估健康状况之间关系的影响。数据来自两项横断面调查的汇总，共有来自阿散蒂地区的 521 名参与者。结果表明，年轻成年人比老年人更有可能具备足够的 FHL，并对自己的健康状况有更积极的看法。虽然 FHL 与健康状况呈正相关，但当年轻成年人获得高水平的情感支持时，这种关系更为强烈。在老年人中，信息性支持极大地调节了 FHL 与健康状况之间的关系。因此，社会支持以不同的方式和不同的程度调节了 FHL 和健康状况之间的关系。因此，旨在提高年轻和老年成年人 FHL 和健康的干预措施应适当考虑社会支持的相关方面。
