Impact of Health Literacy on the Progression of Frailty after 4 Years among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Yasuyo Yoshizawa, Tomoki Tanaka, Kyo Takahashi, Mahiro Fujisaki-Sueda-Sakai, Bo-kyung Son and Katsuya Iijima
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Yasuyo Yoshizawa: Department of Healthy Life Expectancy, Graduate School of Medicine Juntendo University, Tokyo 113-0034, Japan
Tomoki Tanaka: Institute of Gerontology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Kyo Takahashi: Institute of Gerontology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Mahiro Fujisaki-Sueda-Sakai: Institute of Gerontology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Bo-kyung Son: Institute of Gerontology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Katsuya Iijima: Institute of Gerontology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Health literacy (HL) promotes healthy lifestyle behaviors among older adults, and its relationship with frailty remains unclear. This study examined whether HL is a predictor of frailty progression among community-dwelling older adults. Data from two surveys conducted in 2012 and 2016 involving older residents (mean age, 71.6 ± 4.6 years) of Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan were used. Only healthy individuals without frailty and cognitive impairments participated in the 2012 assessment, where the Kihon Checklist (KCL), HL, and other variables were assessed. Logistic and multiple logistic analyses were used to assess the effects of HL and other factors on frailty between the ‘high HL’ vs. ‘low HL’ groups in 2012 and between the ‘robust’ vs. ‘frailty-progressing’ groups in 2016. Of the 621 robust participants, 154 (25.4%) had progression of frailty in 2016, which was significantly associated with advanced age, higher KCL score, lower HL, poor mental health, and lack of social support. Furthermore, low HL was a predictor of frailty progression. Low HL may be associated with frailty progression. The obtained results suggest that increased health literacy should be effective in preventing frailty for community-dwelling older residents.

Keywords: community-dwelling older adults; frailty; health literacy; Kihon Checklist (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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