Department of Adult and Continuing Education & Graduate Institute of Elder Education, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan.
Int Q Community Health Educ. 2020 Oct;41(1):69-75. doi: 10.1177/0272684X20908846. Epub 2020 Feb 27.
This study focused on ascertaining the effects of low literacy on the self-care and medical treatment-seeking behaviors of older adults. A qualitative research method was adopted in this study wherein a semistructured questionnaire was used to conduct one-on-one interviews with 35 older adults with a primary school education or less who lived in rural areas of Taiwan. The results indicated that low literacy was an evident limitation to their range of activities, and the assistance of family members was required for medical treatment seeking and medication administration. The low self-esteem attributable to low literacy had a negative influence on doctor-patient communication. Older adults had a lower awareness of illnesses and their severity, and this insufficient health literacy resulted in delayed medical treatment. In addition, older adults rarely took the initiative to receive preventive services. This study suggests integrating literacy and health education program for older adults with low literacy.
本研究旨在确定低文化程度对老年人自我护理和就医行为的影响。本研究采用定性研究方法，对居住在台湾农村地区的 35 名小学及以下文化程度的老年人进行了一对一的访谈，使用半结构化问卷。结果表明，文化程度低明显限制了他们的活动范围，就医和服药需要家庭成员的帮助。文化程度低导致的自卑感对医患沟通产生负面影响。老年人对疾病及其严重程度的认识较低，健康素养不足导致治疗延误。此外，老年人很少主动接受预防服务。本研究建议为低文化程度的老年人整合文化和健康教育计划。
