Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40394603›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Association of health literacy with illness perception of Chinese community patients with chronic disease.

Chaowei Guo, Yibo Wu, Xinghua Bai, Qiao Qiao, Dianjun Qi, Shuang Zang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. [Developmental trajectories of medication adherence and predictors of latent classes in patients with ischemic stroke].Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2026
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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

6 authors.

Chaowei Guo *Department of Community Nursing, School of Nursing, China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China.
Yibo Wu *School of Public Health, Peking University, No.38 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
Xinghua BaiDepartment of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, No. 155 Nanjing North Street, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110001, China.
Qiao QiaoDepartment of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, No. 155 Nanjing North Street, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110001, China.
Dianjun QiDepartment of General Practice, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, No.155 South Nanjing Street, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110001, China. djqi@cmu.edu.cn.
Shuang ZangDepartment of Community Nursing, School of Nursing, China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110122, China. zangshuang@cmu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study aimed to examine the association between health literacy and illness perception among Chinese patients with chronic disease in the community through a national cross-sectional study.

methodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in China from June 20, 2022, to August 31, 2022, and used a multistage sampling approach to select patients with chronic diseases. The study included 5,525 participants from 15 provinces, drawn from the Psychology and Behavior Investigation of Chinese Residents in 2022. We constructed univariate analysis, smooth curve fitting, threshold saturation effect analysis, and forest plot of subgroup analysis to evaluate the association between health literacy and illness perception.

resultsThe analysis revealed an inverted J-shaped association between health literacy and illness perception (P < 0.001). Moreover, the identified inflection point was 22.22. When the health literacy score was below 22.22, illness perception exhibited a positive association with health literacy (β = 0.12, 95%CI = 0.03, 0.21, P = 0.009). When the health literacy score was higher than 22.22, illness perception decreased with the increasing health literacy (β=-0.23, 95%CI=-0.27, -0.19, P < 0.001). The significant association between health literacy and illness perception did not differ significantly across subgroups, except for the Hukou subgroup.

conclusionsThis study determined a threshold of health literacy that was associated with the illness perception of Chinese chronic disease patients. Additionally, an inverted J-shaped association between health literacy and illness perception was observed, suggesting that targeted health literacy intervention measures should be tailored to specific chronic disease groups rather than a uniform approach. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

Health LiteracyAdultAgedChinaChronic DiseaseCross-Sectional StudiesEast Asian PeopleFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultChinaChronic diseaseHealth literacyIllness perception

Identifiers

PMID40394603
PMCPMC12090623

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

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.