Inadequate health literacy is associated with suboptimal health beliefs in older asthmatics.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between suboptimal asthma beliefs and inadequate health literacy among older adults with asthma.


METHODS
The authors interviewed 100 English- and Spanish-speaking asthmatics (ages >or=50 years) in a New York City primary care clinic (response, 83%). Outcomes included the belief that one does not have asthma when symptoms are absent (no symptoms-no asthma), that asthma is temporary, is curable, and that medications work better if not used all the time. Health literacy was measured using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Belief and health literacy associations were measured with multivariable logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, and race.


RESULTS
The mean age was 61 years; 35% had inadequate health literacy. Those with inadequate literacy were more likely than those with adequate or marginal literacy to have suboptimal beliefs: no symptoms-no asthma, 60% versus 34%, p = .01; temporary, 23% versus 9%, p = .07; curable, 54% versus 25%, p = .004; medication use, 44% versus 21%, p = .03. These relationships remained statistically significant in multivariable analyses that adjusted for age, sex, and race.


CONCLUSIONS
Suboptimal asthma beliefs were more common among older asthmatics with inadequate health literacy. Interventions to improve asthma self-management in older adults should address both belief and health literacy barriers.
Federman
Alex D
AD
Division of General Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA. alex.federman@mssm.edu
Wisnivesky
Juan P
JP
Wolf
Michael S
MS
Leventhal
Howard
H
Halm
Ethan A
EA
D000368:Aged; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009519:New York City; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012648:Self Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents