Resumen

SERRAO, Carla; VEIGA, Sofia  y  VIEIRA, Isabel. Health literacy: Results from a sample of Portuguese elderly people. Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental [online]. 2015, n.spe2, pp.33-38. ISSN 1647-2160.

BACKGROUND: The present study integrates the Health Literacy Project: a challenge in and for the elderly people, funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. AIM: It has the intention to evaluate the degree of health literacy on a sample of elderly people, as well as knowing the association between this degree and sociodemographic characteristics of the participants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was conducted a quantitative study with 433 adults over 65 years of age, using as instrument the Newest Vital Sign (NVS). RESULTS: The results indicate that the majority of the participants (80%) showed a level of low health literacy, meaning that only 20% of respondents will be able to interpret and use effectively written information related with health. Sex, educational attainment, age and marital status proved to be variables that affect significantly the level of health literacy of participants. CONCLUSIONS: The results point to the urgent need to enhance health literacy in the elderly population, in general, and among the most vulnerable groups, in particular.

Palabras clave : Health literacy; Aged; Sex; Educational status.

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