title: The Relationship between Health Literacy and Health Behaviour in People with Diabetes: A Danish Population-Based Study.
abstract: Background. People with diabetes who have poor health behaviours are at greater risk for a range of adverse health outcomes. We aimed to investigate the relationship between health literacy and health behaviour (smoking, alcohol, physical activity, and diet) in people with diabetes.Methods. The study was based on respondents aged 25 years or older from a population-based survey in 2013 who reported having diabetes (n= 1685). Two dimensions from the Health Literacy Questionnaire were used: "understand health information" and "actively engage with healthcare providers." We used logistic regression to examine the association between health literacy and health behaviour.Results. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, individuals with diabetes who found it difficult to understand information about health had higher odds of being physically inactive (OR: 3.43, 95% CI: 2.14-5.51) and having unhealthy dietary habits (OR: 3.01, 95% CI: 1.63-5.58). Similar results were observed for individuals who found it difficult to actively engage with healthcare providers. No associations were found between the two dimensions of health literacy and smoking and alcohol consumption.Conclusion. When developing health services and interventions to improve health behaviour among people with diabetes, our results suggest that they may benefit by including focus on health literacy.
authors.affiliation: DEFACTUM, Public Health & Health Services Research, Central Denmark Region, Olof Palmes Allé 15, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
authors.forename: Karina
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5967-2723
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Friis
authors.affiliation: DEFACTUM, Public Health & Health Services Research, Central Denmark Region, Olof Palmes Allé 15, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
authors.forename: Benedicte Donslund
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3907-5013
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Vind
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Section of General Practice, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Danish Diabetes Academy, Odense, Denmark; Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Rebecca K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.affiliation: Steno Diabetes Center, SCHP, Niels Steensens Vej 6, Gentofte, Denmark; Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 2, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Helle Terkildsen
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0525-7254
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Maindal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D003718:Denmark; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus; D000072001:Diet, Healthy; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012907:Smoking; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires