Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27101999›Full record

ArticleQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation2016

The association between health literacy and self-management abilities in adults aged 75 and older, and its moderators.

Bas Geboers, Andrea F de Winter, Sophie L W Spoorenberg, Klaske Wynia, Sijmen A Reijneveld

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
49citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

49 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Low income and health literacy: a systematic scoping review.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Heat Health Prevention Measures and Adaptation in Older Populations-A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019
    Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Bas GeboersDepartment of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, FA10, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands. b.j.m.geboers@umcg.nl.
Andrea F de WinterDepartment of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, FA10, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Sophie L W SpoorenbergDepartment of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, FA10, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Klaske WyniaDepartment of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, FA10, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Sijmen A ReijneveldDepartment of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, FA10, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeLow health literacy is an important predictor of poor health outcomes and well-being among older adults. A reason may be that low health literacy decreases older adults' self-management abilities. We therefore assessed the association between health literacy and self-management abilities among adults aged 75 and older, and the impact of demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, and health status on this association.

methodsWe used data of 1052 older adults, gathered for a previously conducted randomized controlled trial on Embrace, an integrated elderly care model. These data pertained to health literacy, self-management abilities, demographic background, socioeconomic situation, and health status. Health literacy was measured by the validated three-item Brief Health Literacy Screening instrument. Self-management abilities were measured by the validated Self-Management Ability Scale (SMAS-30).

resultsAfter adjustment for confounders, self-management abilities were poorer in older adults with low health literacy (β = .34, p < .001). This was more pronounced in medium- to high-educated older adults than in low-educated older adults. Sex, age, living situation, income, presence of chronic illness, and mental health status did not moderate the association between health literacy and self-management abilities.

conclusionsLow health literacy is associated with poor self-management abilities in a wide range of older adults. Early recognition of low health literacy among adults of 75 years and older and interventions to improve health literacy might be very beneficial for older adults.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHealth LiteracyHumansMaleSelf CareEducational levelHealth literacyOlder adultsSelf-managementWell-being

Identifiers

PMID27101999
PMCPMC5065597

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.