title: Relationship among patients' perceived capacity for communication, health literacy, and diabetes self-care.
abstract: The mechanisms underlying the relations among health literacy, perceived capacity for communication, diabetes knowledge, and diabetes self-care are unclear. This study tested this relation using structural equation modeling with a sample of 137 Chinese patients 65 years of age or older with type 2 diabetes. The model showed that health literacy, knowledge, communication capacity, and diabetes self-care formed complex relations. After adjusting for age, education, and Chinese cultural influence, health literacy affected diabetes self-care indirectly through perceived capacity for communication (standardized estimate coefficient=.641, p<.001) but not diabetes knowledge. To enhance self-care, interventions should be tailored to increase patient health literacy and perceived capacity for communication with health care providers. Training should be provided to patients to enhance their communication abilities.
authors.affiliation: a School of Nursing, and Research Centre on Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine , University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , China.
authors.forename: Angela Yee Man
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Mike Kwun Ting
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000628:therapy*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*