title: Assessing health literacy in heart failure patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health literacy has important implications for health interventions and clinical outcomes. The Shortened Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA) is a timed test used to assess health literacy in many clinical populations. However, its usefulness in heart failure (HF) patients, many of whom are elderly with compromised cognitive function, is unknown. We investigated the relationship between the S-TOFHLA total score at the recommended 7-minute limit and with no time limit (NTL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We enrolled 612 rural-dwelling adults with HF (mean age 66.0 ± 13.0 years, 58.8% male). Characteristics affecting health literacy were identified by multiple regression. Percentage of correct scores improved from 71% to 86% (mean percent change 15.1 ± 18.1%) between the 7-minute and NTL scores. Twenty-seven percent of patients improved ≥1 literacy level with NTL scores (P < .001). Demographic variables explained 24.2% and 11.1% of the variance in % correct scores in the 7-minute and the NTL scores, respectively. Female gender, younger age, higher education, and higher income were related to higher scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with HF may be inaccurately categorized as having low or marginal health literacy when the S-TOFHLA time limits are enforced. New ways to assess health literacy in older adults are needed.
authors: University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA. susan.robinson@nursing.ucsf.edu
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: Robinson
authors: Debra
authors: D
authors: Moser
authors: Michele M
authors: MM
authors: Pelter
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Nesbitt
authors: Steven M
authors: SM
authors: Paul
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Dracup
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D032882:Comprehension; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D011932:Reading; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012648:Self Care