The relationship between health literacy and self-care ability in patients with hypertension

Hypertension is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases worldwide. Self-care ability in patients with hypertension can be influenced by various factors, such as health literacy. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between health literacy and self-care ability in patients with hypertension.

This cross-sectional descriptive correlational study employed a convenience sampling method to investigate 120 hypertensive patients referred to medical centers in Sanandaj, Iran, between November 2018 and February 2019. The inclusion criteria included age between 30 and 75 years, diagnosis of hypertension by a specialist, and diagnosis of hypertension at least six months ago. A demographic characteristics checklist and standard hypertension self-care questionnaires (HSCALE) and Adult Health Literacy Assessment (HELIA) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 16 software. A significance level of 0.05 was considered.

The mean and standard deviation of patients' self-care scores and health literacy were 56.1 ± 8.6 and 117 ± 25.2, respectively. There was a positive and significant correlation between the mean scores of self-care and health literacy (r = 0.409, P = 0.001), with health literacy scores increasing in line with a rise in self-care scores.

Considering the observed relationship between health literacy and self-care, it seems necessary to perform educational interventions aimed at promoting the health literacy of patients with hypertension.